Bloody Feathers
by staro9
Summary: A month after the battle during Cheshvan, Nora Grey tries to resume her life with normality. But things will never be normal again for her, since her boyfriend is a fallen angel. Now an impending trial threatens to separate her from him once again. Nora is also followed by a mysterious force that threatens to return an old enemy.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Last Night of Cheshvan

Bella trained her eyes in the farmhouse as she stepped at the edge of the forest that faced it. Through a normal human eye, the house appeared to be white with blue shutters. But she could see the soft cracks of the paint on the walls and even its discoloration. She watched each window apprehensively. Except for the window at the bottom left of the house, which she assumed was the living room, all of the windows were pitch black. The house had an unfortunate location, found in the middle of a clearing surrounded by forests and enveloped in thick white fog.

She sniffed the cool October night air, her heightened senses picking up the different scents of the forest and even the hint of dog stench of her companion. She frowned. There was nothing here that suggested any threat, like Jane had told her and her family. So what was it they were supposed to be keeping surveillance?

She heard the crunch of leaves behind her and the stench of her friend had gotten stronger. A second later, a dark hulking figure appeared beside her. Despite the cool weather, his torso was bare and the shorts he wore hung low on his hips. His hair dripped with dew, making it glisten in the low moonlight. His skin color was completely in contrast with hers. She was pale while he was a rich color of brown. His dark brown eyes were also glued to the farmhouse as if it was the most interesting house they had ever seen. He crossed his arms over his torso, making the ligaments and hardened muscle underneath their skin pop out.

"How long are we going to stand here?" he asked, shifting his weight after a few minutes. Bella, on the other hand, remained still as a statue that she was. "A minute more of this and I'll officially feel like a Peeping Tom. Though I have to say, this fog makes it completely easy for anyone to spy this house. I mean, if they're willing to hike their way here."

Bella ignored her friend's banter. She focused on the only window that had signs of life and saw a silhouette get up and disappear. A second later, a woman with bright red curly hair that hung loosely around her neck walked out of the front door. She was about Rene's age and height. Even from several yards of distance, Bella could smell the woman's scent and the familiar thirst that clawed her throat greeted her. But Bella's filled appetite didn't make the woman as alluring as she would be if she was hungry. Instinctively, she and Jacob drew back, hiding behind tree trunks. She grasped the bark of one rather hard in order to keep her distracted from the scent.

But the woman did not glance at the forest in front of her home. As she pulled her bathrobe closer to her, she glanced at the direction of the road seemingly waiting for something or someone. Worry creased her face as she drew out a phone from one of the pockets.

"Where are you?" Bella heard her ask someone on the other line. Her tone was impatient, authoritative, annoyed, and worried. Bella identified it as the similar tone her mother would talk to her in when Bella didn't return her calls right away. "Look young lady, the last time I checked you were still grounded. If you're not here within fifteen minutes, so help me I will ground you until the end of your junior year!"

Bella heard Jacob smirk somewhere from the tree next to her. "Is this what we came here for? Wow, Aro is surely bizarre, having sudden interest in mother-teenager problems. What's the threat here?"

The woman turned and went back inside, still arguing with the person on the other line. She slammed the door shut behind her, a bit louder than Bella assumed she normally would have. Thirty seconds later, the only window that had light turned off. The house looked completely dark and a bit sinister. She turned to listen and ten minutes later, the woman's slow, silent snoring drifted to her.

It was clear that nothing else was going to happen that night as the moon slid lower and lower. Jake was already slumped against a tree trunk, sleeping silently. His face adopting that boyish vulnerability. Whenever he was asleep like this, the deep hard lines of his scowl and his frown relaxes. She was almost convinced nothing was going to happen herself and she wanted to return to the rented Mustang they had left at a gas station a few miles from here.

She wondered what Edward was doing at that moment and at the thought of her husband, the urge to run from Maine to Seattle tugged at her conviction. But she needed to stay there for his sake and for their daughter's sake. She needed to stay there because the Volturi was still breathing down their backs even after three years had passed. Carlisle had encouraged her to accept this favor from the Volturi.

For the sake of saving her daughter, Bella and her family had gathered enough of their kind to stand beside them when Bella's daughter was accused to being a child of their kind rather than being born naturally, which was a crime in their society. When others found out that the Volturi had been stopped, whispers of their weakness and possibly overthrowing them spread like wildfire. Bella feared that most of those whisperers nominated their family as the clan that could do just that.

Jane had came to their house to ask for a favor on behalf of the Volturi last week. It was a tense moment when she stepped inside their home to talk to them about a supernatural force that had alerted the Volturi. She had patronizingly asked Bella to find more about these forces and report to them about it. After she had left, they consulted each other, even bringing in Jacob's pack. They agreed that there was something more to this favor than Jane had revealed but when they had checked with Edward, he knew nothing more about it than what had Aro told Jane which was exactly what she had told them. Alice was also consulted but she drew a blank. Jane was only doing Aro's bidding and Aro himself kept changing his decisions. It seemed they had found several loopholes to blind the Cullens.

In the end, Carlisle had advised Bella to go, pointing out that it showed to the Volturi and the rest of their kind that their family was not planning on overthrowing any government any time soon. It showed that their family was still under the jurisdiction of the Volturi clan and that no unnecessary violence need to occur.

Of course, Edward and Renesmee didn't agree to sending Bella by herself especially if these forces had worried Aro enough. So Jacob agreed to accompany her. But as far as the night had gone, the whole thing was a bust. Bella was about to shake Jacob awake when the sound of a purring engine forced Bella's gaze forward back again.

Jacob stirred awake at the sound as well, his body taut and ready as they both wearily watched a motorcycle speed through the road and turn to the farmhouse's long driveway. Bella and Jacob carefully stepped back as well, retreating to the forest farther than before. They watched as the motorcycle slowed to a stop. Bella could see the one who dismounted first was a girl while the driver was a boy. The girl slid off her helmet and gave it back to the boy who remained in his seat. The girl's long, wild, curly, reddish brown hair cascaded past her shoulders and stopped halfway on her back. Even though she was about Bella's height, it looked like her long legs dominated her body, giving the impression that she was taller.

The boy leaned in and grabbed her hand to pull her close. She didn't seem to be resisting. Instead, she hid in his shirt for a while, her body shaking in tremors. She was crying and the boy was comforting her. A second later, the girl seem to have composed herself a bit, her hands wiping her face. She pulled away from the boy but he seemed reluctant to let her go.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Angel?" Bella heard the boy's voice ask. It was soft and caring with a very subtle hint of desire.

The girl's hair shook a bit as she nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Everything just seems hard to digest now. But everything's done. There's no other way but to continue on with life."

"No one's forcing you get back to reality just yet, Nora. Stay at my place, how about that?"

From somewhere from Bella's left, she heard Jacob scoff. "Oh, what a sleaze. He just wants to get in her pants."

"No, I'll be fine," she said in an honest stab at calming her voice, fidgeting with her hands. "I need to check up on my mom and Vee anyways." Her head whipped up at him. "Do you think Mrs. Parnell knows about Scott?"

"I don't know. But she'll know soon enough. I'm sorry about Scott. He was a great man."

The girl remained silent as she nodded again. Bella could hear the girl's sniffles and she was positive the girl was crying again. When she spoke, her voice was thick and nasal. "I'm just glad I didn't lose you."

"What is this, a scene in 'The Days Of Our Lives'?" Jacob whispered again, his eyes rolling. "Why do we need to see this, Bella?"

The light in a window of one of the upper floor room flicked on. This had caught the attention of the girl and the boy. The girl quickly let go of the boy's hands and started making her way to the house. Probably not wanting to wake up her mother, which Bella had assumed was the woman earlier, the girl walked in the grass to silence her footsteps. But as she was reaching their patio, the boy finally dismounted his motorcycle and lifted his own helmet off his head. His height surprised Bella. She guessed he was about six feet or an inch above that mark. His dark hair curled behind his ears and his skin was smooth and as dark as Jacob's. The boy was lean and muscular with an easy, almost arrogant gait. He rushed to her side and placed his arms around her again in a tight embrace.

"Be safe Angel. I'll see you in your dreams later." The words were spoken quietly, meant only for the girl but Bella heard it as if it was yelled across to them. The girl nodded again, curled her finger on his shirt, and pulled him in for a kiss before going inside the house.

As the boy strode back to his motorcycle, Jacob quietly stepped closer to the edge of the forest. "Well that felt like a scene from a cheesy chick flick," he commented. Bella followed him, her eyes still on the boy.

But as she studied him closer, she felt a shiver run through her body, something she had never felt before since she had woken up to the life of a vampire. He looked like he was younger than twenty but older than seventeen. But his onyx eyes held wisdom older than what his body suggests. She froze as she sniffed the air again but this time, the breeze had picked up the smell of mint, ground, and spices that she assumed was coming from the boy. Even if the scent was innocent enough, it was almost too strong as if it was the only smell coming from the boy. Bella also noticed the absence of the smell that triggered her thirst whenever a human is around. So if she didn't sense that with the boy, was he human?

The answer came to her almost immediately when the boy zipped past them. The air around him cackled as if it was alive with electricity. Jacob stiffened beside her and she knew she wasn't the only one who felt it. They exchanged a wide-eyed look. Was he the one they came after? Was he the one Aro felt like a threat?

The boy seemed to have sensed something as well as he turned his head over his shoulder. At that exact moment, the boy's deep velvety black eyes met her bright golden ones. The velvety quality of his eyes immediately turned steely. Bella sensed his intention and was already retreating deeper in the woods. Jacob was following her, transforming to the large russet wolf while he ran.

They must have placed twenty miles between the boy and themselves when they heard the roar of his engine stopping where they were a few minutes ago. They didn't stop as they heard the boy following them with unearthly stealth and deadly silence. To Bella's horror and surprise, the boy was easily following them, matching their speed effortlessly. He jumped over fallen branches and gracefully dodged other obstacles. It was only when they had crossed the forty mile radius away from the house did Bella notice the boy had stopped following.

She slowed and glanced behind her before stopping. The boy was nowhere to be found. She fanned her hair out in a swift movement, her breathing even as if she hadn't just sprinted miles while a being she had never encountered before raced after them. Jacob's huge wolf head towards her and she knew they were thinking the same thing. She knew the same questions swirled inside Jacob's head.

What was that boy? How can he match vampire and werewolf speed that well?

Bella fished her phone out of her pocket and dialed Jane's number. She waited for her to pick up. She looked apprehensively around, keeping her senses alert. She also threw up her shield around her and Jacob just in case the boy had powers beside unnatural speed.

"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Bella asked as soon as Jane picked up her phone.

"What do you mean?" the short impatient reply came from Jane's end.

"A creature that I've never encountered before chased us down the forest, not an easy feat for any other creature I know. So tell me Jane, what are we dealing with?"

Jane was silent for a few seconds, probably relating the boy's incredible speed to Aro. "He saw you?"

"Yes."

Silence again. When Jane spoke, her voice was harsh and irritated. "That was messy of you Isabella Swan Cullen. We'll have to start all over. Come back a month after. Hopefully by then the boy would have forgotten about you, though I highly doubt it. We'll let this blow over and we'll look past it. But the next time you mess up, there will be consequences."

The line went dead and silence fell over them.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A Month after Cheshvan

I stood in the middle of the cemetery, letting the cool November air whip past my face. I shivered slightly but I had a feeling the coldness I felt had nothing to do with the temperature. The gleaming granite tombstone I stood in front of was the only indication of my fallen comrade and one of the bravest man I had ever known. I read the handsomely engraved words and tears sprang in my eyes.

Scott Parnell

A Beloved Son

Born: May 15, 1991

Died: October 31, 2009

I watched as my best friend, Vee, crouch down and gently place the crown of roses at the bottom of the tombstone. She bent down as if she was in prayer but I knew by the way her body shook in tremors that she was crying. The past month since Scott had been killed had been exceptionally hard on her. It wasn't a walk in the park for me either. I had regarded Scott as one of my greatest friends. He had sacrificed his life to save mine and I will always be grateful to him. Guilt gripped my heart again as I blamed myself for his death. If only I had saved him from Dante. If only I had known Dante's plans before any of this got out of control. If only I had the strength to defeat Dante earlier, maybe Vee wouldn't have to go through this pain at all.

Losing Scott was like losing my adoptive father, Harrison Grey, all over again. I glanced over at his gravesite just about four places away from Scott's. At first, his death was dismissed as a random mugging that caused my once solidly intact life to shatter. But summer this year, I found out he was in fact just trying to save another man's life, and that man was my biological father, Hank Millar.

Vee straightened up beside me. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, relaying my message of support. She nodded, understanding the gesture. She wiped the tears from her eyes before giving me a watery smile.

"Do you want to go to your dad's grave now?" she asked, turning her attention to it. I glanced at it again and nodded, before striding over in front of my father's own tombstone. Vee remained with Scott though, waiting patiently for me. I appreciate she was trying to give my father and I some privacy but I had a feeling she wanted to be alone with Scott too.

I settled my own crown of white lilies at my father's grave. This upcoming March would be his second death anniversary. For the past year, it had been hard for me to move on from his death because I felt like I never knew the reason why it had happened. But now that I know what truly occurred and now that the fallen angel responsible for his death was in hell, I was starting to let go of the pain more and more.

"Hey dad," I muttered silently. "Well everything's fine now. The Nephilim race is free and is living in peace. I'm back with Patch again and it seems like our lives are finally going to be undisturbed. Mom's fine. She's still not over Hank but she's getting there. Honestly, I hope soon. I miss you terribly and I wish you were here. But I know you're safe now with Scott. Tell him I said hi, all right? Tell him I'll drop by his house to check on his mom once in a while. And tell him…" My voice began to crack and I could feel the sting in the back of my eyes return. "Tell him I said thank you."

I slid the Volkswagen in front of Vee's house and stopped just in front of her yard. I glanced up at her wearily. I knew tonight was going to be another hard night for her, just by looking at how her face grimaced. She stared at her house for a few seconds before sighing.

"Are you sure you don't want me to sleep over?" I asked for what I had counted to be the fiftieth time.

"You know, you're sounding more and more like a helicopter parent, babe," she stuck her tongue out but I knew it was just a show. "Besides, Blythe would want you to start on your college applications now, right? That's the deal, we can hang out and visit Scott but you have to go to the library to keep up with your grades. I mean, it's no blood oath but hey, I don't want your mom popping a vein in her neck."

Before I could say anything else, she swung out of the Volkswagen and sashayed off to her front door. She gave me a small wave before she closed the door behind her. I stayed there for a few seconds, knowing she's probably sliding against the door before finally putting the car back in gear. She knows she can show she's hurting in front of me but I highly suspected what she's showing is a lot more composed than what she really feels.

It took me about fifteen minutes to drive from her house to the library. I headed straight to the elevators and pushed on the second floor button. It groaned and clanked loudly, making me doubt its durability. But it slid painfully to a stop and the elevator doors slid open. I settled down in the tables in front of the media center and took out my laptop. I plugged in my USB drive and began to work, focusing mostly on typing up an essay to a topic generally used by a lot of universities.

My mom had dreamt of me going to Yale, Stanford, or Harvard ever since I was a child. I admit I shared her enthusiasm about those schools and even earned the grades to prove my qualifications. I guess it all changed when I had been thrust in the world of fallen angels and the Nephilim race. For the past few months up until Cheshvan, school had taken a sudden backseat on my list of priorities. I was more occupied with trying to figure out how I'll lead Hank's secret Nephil army, please the archangels, and keep my relationship strong with Patch. The battle between the fallen angels and the Nephil had taken over my time and I had let school fall behind.

But now the Nephil had gained their freedom and the fallen angels are gone, I had no other choice but to return my life to normal. Well, as normal as I can make it. But then, a normal life is out of the question. I am a Nephil, a creature with strength and immortality. I am also dating a fallen angel so any possibilities of a normal life flew out of the window. I checked my phone at the thought of Patch. No new messages and no new missed calls. I wondered what he was doing right now. I amused myself with a picture of him studying like I was but I knew he was probably at Bo's Arcade playing high-stakes pool.

I had put in an hour of trying to organize my thoughts into rational sentences when my mind began to rebel. I reasoned I needed a break anyways and saved the essay before closing out. To my delight, the library had installed wifi in their establishment so I can connect to the internet without having to log on to one of their computers. I logged into my facebook account. In my homepage, I saw Marcie's pictures of her trip to Italy with her mother. She moved back in with her mom a week ago and told us she was going to finish her high school years and study college in Italy. When she had informed us, she sounded boastful and arrogant but I knew she was escaping after she had betrayed me by burning every fallen angel feather including Patch's. I hadn't forgiven her for what she did but I found my anger subside and a deep indifference take root. I closed the website off, deciding it's time to go home before my mom decides two months of grounding me wasn't long enough.

The following morning, I met Vee at our favorite bistro, Enzo's, before going to school. I ordered a steaming cup of Cappuccino while I waited for her, drumming my fingers lightly on the table. After a few minutes, she still hasn't showed. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the doors open, expecting to see Vee. But I felt my jaw drop when I saw the young woman glide through the doors and settle down one of the tables near the door.

She looked like a model who had just stepped out of a photo shoot. Her long brunette hair fell to the small of her back stood out vividly against her marble white skin. Her face was unbelievably and perfectly angled with every feature proportional, maybe except for her bottom lip which was thicker than her upper one. But even this helped her, accentuating the sensual form of her mouth. Her slender figure, which even Marcie would be completely jealous of, was covered in a simple royal blue v-neck long sleeve shirt and light jeans but I spied the small logo at the bottom of her shirt and I knew they were designers. I recognized the coat that she had shrugged off as well. I had just seen it in the latest issue of Vogue magazine where they were showing the latest Chanel creations. She straightened up and gently placed her arms on the table. She looked outside as if she was waiting for someone. Even her posture was elegant.

It didn't escape me I wasn't the only one gawking at her. Other costumers and even the servers were staring at her with wide open eyes, some of them had coffees halfway as if they were about to take a sip but was interrupted by this beautiful creature. Their expressions at least made me feel less ridiculous for staring at her.

I was saved from further gawking when the door's bell rang again and Vee walked in, flipping her hair. She spotted me waving before she approached the counter and ordered. A minute later, she had settled in front of me, a strawberry flavored donut and a latte in her hands.

"Okay, this is officially the coldest day of the year. Thank goodness for small blessings like strawberry filled donuts," she said as she cheerfully taking a bite.

I smiled and tried to say something but my eyes landed on the beautiful girl once again. She was absent-mindedly twirling her hair around her thin white forefinger. That was when I saw the band studded with diamonds on her left ring finger. She was barely older than I am, a year or two maybe. I wasn't sure why I was surprised she's married. I guess I felt that her beauty, as intimidating as it is, had a lot of potential. I knew in this world, if you want to be successful, being drop dead gorgeous would take you far. I couldn't help thinking it was a waste being tied down that early. But then, I wasn't the one to judge. I touched my own band. It was primitive and was a far cry from her ring's elegance. Unlike hers, the ring on my finger didn't look official. Even so, it held just as much promise.

Vee noticed my attention was divided and followed my line of vision. I saw her jaw drop as well, taking in the definition of the perfect standard of beauty in front of us.

"Who is that?" she asked in awe. Her voice was loud and I was sure it carried to where the girl was. But then, I'm sure Vee wouldn't care if the girl heard us. "Is she a model? What in the world is a model doing here in Coldwater? Wait, hang on, is Susanna finally hiring new models for her JC Penny Winter collection? It would be nice to finally stop seeing Marcie's hair-raising ho gazes like she's about to do the big deed with the camera."

"Marcie and Susanna are in Italy, remember?" I said, finally looking away from the girl, a bit embarrassed that my eyes kept wandering to her. "So there's no way she's here to be one of their models."

Vee smirked. "The ho. Is she really away for good?"

I nodded and her smile got even wider.

"You do know I think she's being eaten by guilt for all the stuff she made you go through right? The cowardly ho can't even stick around to make it up to you."

I shrugged. "I don't really care. She doesn't concern me anymore."

Vee nodded in agreement before her eyes landed on the girl again. "You know, I kinda wish she's here right now." I stared at her in slight disbelief. "Well, it's mostly because I want to see her expression when she gets a load of that hottie."

I chuckled, not being able to help myself. Besides being amused at Vee's banter about Marcie, I was more relieved that she seemed more like herself today than she's ever been after Scott had died.

She took a sip of her latte, turning back around to me. "But Marcie do have her beat at something."

I wrinkled my nose at the thought of Marcie beating the girl in any standard. "Really? What?"

"That girl can seriously use a tan. I mean, she's as white as marble. And you can't deny Marcie had fried her skin more than I think anyone should. I mean, if Chef Gordon Ramsey needed an extra cooking grid for his grill, they could definitely hire Marcie."

This made me snort, my heart lighting up. "Vee, be nice." I pushed myself out of my chair. "I'll be right back. I want some chicken wrap."

"Oh, can you bring me another donut?" she asked, waving a ten-dollar bill in front of her. I took it and made my way to the counter. As I passed by the beautiful girl's table, the hair on my arms stood up as if a chill had suddenly whipped through me. My Nephilim radar had picked up something off the charts. My head slowly turned towards her. Her gold eyes met my gray ones and a shiver had gone through my spine. My senses jumped the conclusion that the woman was not human. I quickly tried to identify her as a Nephl to explain the feeling I was getting but I knew it wasn't the right match.

She cocked her head to the side, looking at me condescendingly as if she wants me to feel embarrassed for looking at her that much. I blinked a couple of times before my face flushed red. I turned back around stiffly, trying to ignore the power radiating from her.

"Uhm, can I have a chicken wrap and one strawberry filled donut?" I asked the barista, my voice was unsure. I watched as the barista slid the door of the glass case and picked a donut. When she went back to the kitchen to get the chicken wrap, I slowly turned back to the girl's direction, trying hard to be inconspicuous about it. But by the time I had shifted my position to have her on my peripheral vision, the model was gone.

I returned to our table and laid down Vee's order. I chewed on my lip, debating whether I should say something about the sudden alarms my senses had sounded. I wasn't sure if the girl was even a Nephil but I didn't have any proof she wasn't either. Was there any point in making myself looking crazy in front of Vee? Better yet, was there any point in worrying her when there must be a logical explanation why I felt like identifying her as Nephil wasn't an exact match. Okay, maybe to say logical was stretching it. Nothing about the world of the Nephilim race was logical. But there must be an explanation for the power surge. Vee was about to take another bite when she saw my expression.

"Spit it out," she ordered, lowering the donut. "I know that look. I know you're debating with your head. I could practically hear your brain whirring away."

"Where did the model-girl go?" I asked, unsure what else to point out to her. I wondered why Vee didn't feel the girl's aura when she had passed by the model's table. She was a pureblood, naturally born Nephil. She should have sensed if another Nephil is around.

Vee shrugged, craning her neck towards the girl's table. "I didn't even notice she's gone." She waved her hand idly as if to dismiss any attempts to talk about her further. "Anyways, I was wondering if you'd want to go to the Devil's Handbag with me tonight."

My thoughts lingered on the girl for a few more seconds before I finally gave Vee my attention. I figured if Vee wasn't bothered by the girl, I'm guessing I shouldn't be either. I gave her my attention, focusing on what she was saying. My forehead wrinkled together. I know where this was going.

The Devil's Handbag was an establishment that the decent citizens of Portland had been trying to shut down for years. It was teeming with drugs, alcohol, loud music, and scandalous sex in the bathrooms. Before I had been thrust into the world of fallen angels and Nephilim, I would have never dreamed of entering such an establishment but now, it held a lot of memories, most of them of Scott, not only for me. His band, the Serpentine, would play there for at least once a week. I wonder if it was Vee's way to be masochistic.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, automatically thinking of an excuse as an attempt to distract her. She may want to inflict pain to herself but I wasn't in the mood to go through a tear-fest. "I'm still grounded, remember? I'm trying to appease my mom before she forbids me from seeing Patch ever again."

She made a face. "I thought you told her everything about the last month? I mean, after all the crap you've been through with your psychotic boyfriend, I thought she'd be more accepting."

It was true I had told my mom everything about the world I belong to, even about Hank, though she was a bit hesitant to accept his true identity. I didn't hide the truth about Patch's true identity as a fallen angel. I was hoping she'd be more accepting of my relationship with Patch after everything I had told her but after I had that talk with her, she merely got up and went to sleep.

"I did explain it to her but I don't think she had digested the truth. So for now, I'm trying to stay on her good side."

"Well as long as she hasn't turned into a dictator yet. My mom's too far down that path. I have a feeling she'll change her name to Stalin soon. Anyways, how long do you think she's going to keep you grounded? I highly doubt her rules are keeping Patch away."

I smiled for an answer. She was right about that. My mom's rules hardly kept Patch away. He had always been able to see me when he wants to. I can't say I have been keeping her rules either. Before, Patch would always indicate when and where he would like to see me. But now, I had the key to Patch's newly remodeled studio underneath the Delphic Amusement Park and his townhouse.

"Ugh," Vee groaned in disgust as she saw my longing expression.

"I know you don't necessarily like him. But I thought you were a bit more approving of him now?" I asked, trying hard not to smile. Vee had always disliked Patch but ever since the war of the fallen angels and the Nephil, she had slowly come to terms with the idea of Patch and I.

"I still think he's a psychopath and I knew I was on to something when I said he wasn't human," she replied, grimacing. She sighed as she added, "But I was wrong when I said he'll be bad to you. He is bad for you, though I don't think you'd care."

"I hate to say I told you so."

Vee pouted. "I still want to go to the Devil's Handbag tonight. I mean, it's a Friday night. I seriously don't want to stay at home and just watch movies. I want to dance and get lost in the music."

"If you want movies, then maybe my mom will say yes," I pointed out. She scowled in response and took a sip of her drink again.

"Well, how about you tell your mom we're going to the movies and you can come with me to the Devil's Handbag?" she suggested, her eyes lightening up. "If you think your clothes will give you away, then just wear something wholesome. You can change in my house."

I checked my time. It was time to go. I stood up. I slung my backpack over my shoulder as I took the last bite of my chicken wrap. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."

She squealed in delight. "Perfect!"

That night, I settled down on the windowsill with my legs stretched out, holding my copy of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" in my hand. I was in the middle of highlighting several words and sentences for notes when a knock on my door sounded. I glanced up and saw my mom standing on the doorway, smiling slightly. I knew she must feel relieved I had renewed my dedication to school, that things were slowly creeping back to normal. I was glad myself that my life is now peaceful but its return to normalcy was still up in the air.

"Hey, night in?" she asked, sitting at the foot of my bed.

I wanted to lie to her about going to the movies with Vee. But my conscience was eating my gut away. I had lied to her way more times than I should. I realy didn't want to go through the night with a heavy conscience. Besides, I didn't want to have to look at every corner of the Devil's Handbag and have the desire to cry my heart out. I know Vee liked Scott a lot and over the course of a month, they had grown close. I am still unsure how close "close" was for them but I am willing to bet Vee had attached herself to Scott to inspire a bucketful of tears every time we visit his grave.

"Yeah," I said, waving my book. "English needs some catching up to do. Might as well do all my homework before Vee suddenly wants to hang out this weekend."

"Good plan," she said, absentmindedly nodding. "So, I have to tell you something."

I settled my book down and turned towards her. I felt the dread slowly creeping in. Talks like this usually means she's thinking about selling the farmhouse again. "What is it?"

She inhaled sharply before diving in. "Hugo wants me to work out of state."

I blinked for a few seconds. "Wait, what?"

"He said he needs a secretary on the office in New York he's going to open soon and he's thinking of hiring me. He promised he'll double my salary and he'll even provide a condo unit." She said the words in an exact tone as if she had been practicing how she'll say it to me. But it was rushed as if she was trying to get the idea out there before I could say anything else.

The outrage that was slow to pick up had finally caught on. My mouth opened wide. "What do you mean 'New York'?! We can't just up and leave! I have my whole life here! What about the farmhouse? What about Vee? What about Patch? I'm on my junior year of high school here! Do you know how hard it is for me to suddenly change schools? And in the middle of the school year as well."

She bit her lip for a second. "I knew you'd react that way," she said silently, straightening my sheets.

"So why even consider it? We were doing fine on our own right?"

"You know we've been having a hard time for a while now. I was hoping Hank will help pay the bills but now he's gone too. I'm not expecting you to work and you're just catching up with your school. I don't want to mess that up for you."

"So you think moving to New York won't do that?"

She suddenly stood up and started pacing my room. "That is why I'm considering leaving you here on your own. I will drive home for a weekend every end of the month. I'll leave you with money for food and the bills. I can hire Dorothea again just so you'll have company. I didn't want to do it but I understand you're not moving to New York with me without hating me for the rest of your life."

Now that surprised me. Most of my sophomore year, she wasn't around because she was working out of town a lot. Though, I highly suspected that some of those times, she was actually with Hank. I remember how it took a lot of persuasion on my part to convince her to accept those jobs and how much I'll be fine. I looked at her with my mouth hanging open again. I couldn't believe how easy she's agreeing to my sudden refusal. She smiled weakly.

"You'll be going off to college soon enough and I'd be a fool if I didn't think you'd get out of Coldwater the first chance you get. I don't doubt Patch will be around long after I send you off to college. I know he's the only person who'd make you think twice before leaving and if he's with you, then there's no reason for keeping you around. I have thought that maybe we can try this out at least for a year. But if I see any hint that you won't be responsible on your own, I will either quit the job in New York and you'll have to settle for a community college in Portland and a cheap apartment next to Lynn Parnell or I'll have to drag you to New York, kicking and screaming."

"Are you for real?" I asked, still stunned. "I mean, are you sure about this?"

She nodded again but this time, it looked like she was second guessing herself. "Yeah, It'll be fun, right?" But later on she added in a firmer voice. "You definitely can't have Patch over when I'm not here. And when you're heading out with him or Vee, I want to know. If I don't hear anything about Patch or Vee, I'll get suspicious and I'll definitely get the first plane back."

I smiled at her threat, already working out ways I can go through her conditions. "All right mom."

She smiled again but this time it was a lot more confident. She approached me and planted a kiss on my head. "All right, sweetie. I'll talk to you about it more tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night mom."

I waited until I heard her door close before grabbing my phone and dialing Vee's number. "Vee, I can't come tonight."

"You are such a bummer!" she scoffed, displeased. "You do know one of your responsibilities as my best friend is to be my wing woman right?"

"I know but my mom isn't relenting. Anyways, she delivered some pretty heavy news tonight." When I finished telling her my mom's decision, all the annoyance she had with me earlier seem to ebb away almost immediately.

"I will forever hate her if she took you away from me," Vee declared. "And there's nothing in this world stopping me from taking you back. So good thing she had enough sense not to do that. She's avoiding a whole lot of unnecessary violence. We have at least another two years to get sick of each other before we finally move on with our lives but for now I don't want to be unstuck from you."

"Awww, Vee, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"Oh shut up."

I laughed. "I'm sorry about tonight. I'll make it up to you. I promise you once my mom is out of here, I'll be your wing woman."

"Yeah I might as well let your mom ship you away to New York if you don't fulfill your duties. But compared to what Patch has in store for you, my plans are cheerfully innocent. What makes her think nothing will happen between you and Patch while she isn't here?"

At her words, I blushed, feeling the butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't going to deny there were a couple of times in the past that something almost happened between Patch and me. Before, I didn't want to complicate our relationship further with sex but now the fallen angels are gone and the Nephilim race was at peace I had one less reason why I shouldn't do it with him, though the other reason was more problematic. As far as I can tell, no fallen angel had ever fallen in love with a Nephil before us therefore there had been no offspring of the two creatures before. What kind of creature will Patch and I create if we were a bit careless? But then, would I ever really want to have kids?

Though now that Patch could feel him in every way I felt him, keeping my virginity was becoming tougher and tougher. Every time he kissed me, I felt the passion and hunger he had never displayed before. This made it hard for me not to reciprocate that hunger with my own passion. Every time he touched me, things were a few seconds away from being explosive.

"Well, I'm not going to say anything that will make me eat my words later on," I said vaguely.

I heard her chuckle on the other line. "Ah, I should know having this brief sex talk with you would be a lot better than grinding bodies at the Devil's Handbag."

"So we're going to stay at home and keep talking about my sex life?" I wasn't sure which idea horrified me more.

"Well, it's an option."

I shook my head. "Leave it to you to make this a bigger issue than it really is."

"Are you kidding? I don't know what else could be a more interesting subject than that!"

"How about yours?"

"Oh sweetie, I don't think you're ready to know about my sex life. Your innocent ears aren't prepared for it yet," she said in a lustful voice that I know was paired with her most teasing stare.

"Well, I'm going to go before this gets more uncomfortable than it should be," I said loudly. "I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure, I'll try dragging you to the Devil's Handbag again tomorrow."

"Don't count on it. School work is killing me."

"Oh that's okay. You can only say no to me so many times."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sudden weight on my bed drew me out of my sleep. For a second, I tensed up but the butterflies on my stomach and his scent of mint and spices told me I had nothing to fear. My radar had gone past its limit and I couldn't help smiling. I turned to him. Patch was sitting comfortably beside me, leaning on the headboard. He had camouflaged into the darkness as if he was a part of it. His skin and hair was barely visible. He also wore his typical black shirt and dark jeans. I have learned that long ago, his kind of darkness, though dangerous, was extremely alluring. Many people would be wary of him but I found it had attracted me to him even more.

"You do know trespassing is a crime," I whispered, pushing myself up and placing my hands on each side of his hip.

He shrugged a hint of smile on his lips. He pushed closer to me until there was only a hair width of air between us. "The windows were open. I figured it was an invitation to come in."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked, adopting a whiny voice partnered with a pout.

"You looked so peaceful sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you." He placed a palm against my cheek, caressing my face. "I missed you, Angel."

I pressed my lips against his lightly as a response. He pulled me in closer, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed me with his passion that I never get tired of. He ran his hands on the length of my back and I shivered in pleasure. I could tell this caused frenzy in him as his kisses became more passionate that I feel like my lips were going to bruise. He pulled me around him so he'd be on top, pressing his body against me.

The intensity of his kisses alarmed me. Though we were passionate about each other, the fervor of his lips against mine was a bit strange. I surfaced to breathe. "What's going on?" I asked without thinking.

"Nothing," he whispered against my ear. "I just missed you. Is that bad, Angel?" His lips roamed against my jaw at first and then went down to my neck. I ran my fingers on his hair.

I let his lips roam around my neck, trying hard not to lose my train of thought. I sighed and tried hard to push him away from me but I didn't put in much strength behind it. "Now that's out there, tell me what's really going on."

He pushed away from me, slumping beside me slightly. He hid his face on his hands. "You're killing my buzz."

"Tell me, please."

He inhaled and sighed silently. "The archangels are going to hold my trial soon."

It took me a few seconds to understand what he was saying. But when my brain caught up, my insides fell to my spine. I tried to open my mouth a couple of times to say something but the lump that formed on my throat kept me from saying anything.

They couldn't be coming back in our lives when everything is so peaceful now. How can they hold a trial against Patch when he had tried with all his strength to banish devilcraft from Earth? How can they still try to find something to hold against him when he had done everything to prevent one Nephil from controlling such evil power? Why were these archangels so bent in finding ways to chain him on hell? Tears stung my eyes and I didn't even try to stop them from falling. He pulled me in but this time to comfort me.

"I thought they weren't going to come back in our lives?" I sniffed. To regain some form of composure and dignity, I tried to push him away but he held on to me closer.

"It'll be fine," he promised as he ran his hands on my arms. His voice was even, disinterested. I had the sudden desire to slap him awake. Contrast to my extreme anxiety, he was perfectly calm. I didn't understand why he wasn't taking this as seriously as I was. We both know the archangels had it for him. They had been looking for any reason to banish him to hell, away from me. This trial sounds like they had found the perfect excuse. But it didn't make sense since he had contributed so much from keeping the dangerous evil power from Earth.

"What are the charges?" I said apprehensively, my voice thick and quivering. "If they are holding a trial against you, then they must have found an excuse to send you away."

"They said it was for past crimes committed against heaven." The bored voice he had adopted was almost too much for me. I slid away from him, breaking our contact. I turned away from him, crossing my arms. "It's nothing I haven't heard before."

"What makes you so sure?" I didn't bother hiding my suspicion and irascibility.

"I think I have a fighting chance," he explained, pulling me in again, persuading me to believe in him. I hesitated before letting him wrap his arms around me. "I have a good lawyer. Usually the lawyers defending the angels on probation are archangels as well so the bias is apparently there. They wouldn't normally view cases like mine in a fair way and often times they just want to hand over the sinned angel to the Avenging Angels quickly. But this time, many of the archangels are actually looking at this objectively. So as long as my attorney makes a good argument, then they have no choice but to acquit me and leave me alone. I'd rather take the risk to get that goal rather than have them on my back for eternity."

"When will this happen?"

"Soon." I heard his tired sigh. "I really can't go through this without your help. There's nothing that gives me strength better than knowing you're the one I come home to. It also doesn't hurt spending every minute of the next few hours with you."

He slid off me and stood up, walking to my closet. He rummaged through my stuff and picked out a pair of yoga pants and a stretchy blue shirt. "But before I do that, I need to know you can protect yourself without me."

He pushed the clothes towards me. My eyes narrowed into slits "You're making it sound like you're not coming back."

He shrugged. "Nothing is for certain. But I do know I don't want taking risks when it comes to you. Come on, Angel. You'll need to build those muscles up." I glanced at my watch and saw it was two in the morning. I groaned and took the clothes with a little bit much force.

"I'm doing this because it's you," I grumbled, heading towards my closet to change.

Five minutes later, I snuck as quietly as I could out of my bedroom, carefully avoiding the parts on the wooden floor that creaked. I crossed the short distance of the foyer to the door, quietly closing the door behind me. I made my way towards the back of the house, near the edge of the forest that surrounded my backyard. He was leaning against a trunk, his hands on his pockets. He was wearing his leather jacket now. With the moonlight hitting his face in an angle, he looked like a marble statue of the Roman gods deciphered in legends of old. A hint of a smile tugged on his lips as he gave me a look over, his eyes traveling from my shoes to the top of my tied hair but he remained silent.

When I was near enough, he turned around and started walking towards the forest without a word. I stumbled after him, wondering about the type of training I'll go through this early in the morning. The last time I had trained with Patch, it was to learn how to use swords. We used makeshift swords out of sticks, swinging at each other for twelve hours. I was under a time pressure then but I wouldn't be surprised if this training was just as grueling now.

We were about ten miles away from the edge of the forest when he stopped in a clearing. He had gracefully walked past fallen trunks and sticks and avoided sudden dips and obstructions carefully. On the other hand, I was a bit winded. Apparently, being a Nephil with enhanced eyesight hadn't completely solved my poor coordination.

It was still dark and the temperature was probably on its thirties. Frost hung in the air, making it pin sharp as it entered my lungs. My skin was cold as the sweat froze on the surface. Thankfully, there was no wind. The leaves on the trees remained frozen. I heard a few hoots in the distance. I was suddenly a bit wary of predatory animals hunting us. I knew they couldn't injure us fatally but being mauled by bears five times my size would not be a dream. I could still feel pain just like any other person. The only difference is, I couldn't be killed.

The clearing was about fifty feet in diameter, giving us a lot of space to do whatever it was he had in mind. Moonlight seeped through the leaves of the surrounding trees, lighting the forest floors in spots. He turned around and crossed his arm, his black eyes glued on me. I readied myself, in case he decided to pounce on me to catch me off guard. But instead, he sat down on a fallen log at the edge of the clearing, his eyes never leaving mine.

"You can relax, Angel," he called out. "We're not going to do something physical…yet I'll save that for later."

I hesitated, deciding if this was a trick. But when he did nothing, I straightened up, letting my muscles relax. "Sounds boring. So what is it we're going to do?"

"You are going to learn how to block any unwanted people in your thoughts."

I crossed my arms and frowned. "I don't need it. I can tear apart anyone's thoughts before they even think of trying to invade mine."

Amusement tugged at his lips again. "You're sounding cocky, Angel. As much as I like it, it's not going to keep me from showing you how important this is."

"The best defense is a good offense," I pointed out.

He nodded, acknowledging. "That may be true. But sometimes the best offense is a good defense. You can plan your next move without your opponent having an insight to what you're about to do. How many times have people invaded your mind? Chauncey, Rixon, Hank, Dante, Baruch, and I had done it with relative ease. Luckily all of them, except one, are dead and I have no plans in getting inside you in that way."

I rolled my eyes at the innuendo but kept silent as he pushed on. "It would also be harder for any unwanted visitors to play mind games with you. You're a Nephil so you probably will sense if something is off inside your head. It might be a little difficult for anyone to invade your mind. But it doesn't exempt you from unwanted invasion. A powerful Nephil can easily overcome your thoughts. I want you to have an armor good enough to defend against any kind of invader."

"Fine," I agreed impatiently. I really didn't think I'd need it. "What do I have to do?"

"Clear your head and feel the net you throw when you're invading other people's minds. Transform it into something that you can use to wrap around your head. Like how you force yourself into other people's heads, this blanket can vary in composition depending on the person. Think of something strong and durable."

I closed my eyes and followed his instructions. I focused on my breathing and felt the net inside my head. I clutched it tight and tried to think of something that I could use just like he said, but the sound of running water distracted me.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice sounded like it was moving, circling around me. I was out of time. Hurriedly, I made the net into flowing water and covered it the best I could in my thoughts that had turned chaotic now.

I waited for any sign of invasion inside my head but when none came, I opened my eyes again, slowly letting my guard down. Patch was nowhere in sight. I spun around and found myself completely alone in the clearing. But I sensed something wasn't right.

_"Water? You'll need something more substantial than that, Angel,"_ Patch whispered in my mind, his voice terrifying me. It had adopted a screechy timbre so different from his own. If he didn't say the word "Angel", I wouldn't have known it was him.

_ "You're not focused enough, either. I'm making you see what I want you to see."_

I felt his touch as he forced my head to the side, exposing my neck. I felt his lips press against it as his arms wrap around me but he remained invisible. His scent was overwhelmingly close as my heart fluttered wildly against my chest. I could feel his breath on my skin and his chest rose up and down against my back. I closed my eyes, searched for him inside my head, and forced him out. I pried away from his grasp and turned around. There he was, his lips curved in a sensual smile that tipped slightly higher to the right.

"It is easier for someone you trust to invade your mind and make you see things," he explained patiently, placing his hands on my shoulders. "And let's face it, the list of people in your trustworthy list had done a stellar job in breaking the trust you had given them. But it's not only your trusted people you should worry about. Anyone powerful enough can take you by surprise and invade your mind when you least expect it. So let's try again, shall we? But this time, try to find something stronger than water."

"Water is strong," I protested. "It can move rocks and stuff."

"But when someone is invading your mind, you want to be rapid in blocking them out."

I sighed a bit frustrated and closed my eyes. I cleared my head and grasped on the net like I did before. I tried to think of a material that I can use as a shield and found myself going for glass. Not like the ones in a mirror but like the ones in windows. I focused on it, thinking of how light would reflect on any smooth glass surface.

I had just built up the glass casing around my head when I felt something ram against it, threatening to shatter it. I panicked, quickly finding a way to repair the cracks. I realized too late that what I had chosen was not strong enough. I tried to find a way to repair the cracks but another hard force had shattered it in a million pieces. I felt an overwhelming warmth flow inside my head like magma, threatening to burn me. I pulled away, afraid of being scald but something was holding me back. Just as I thought I was going to burn, the sudden heat stopped. I felt stiff and cold. I was lying on my back, my skin pouring out cold sweat and my hair sticking to the base of my neck. I pushed myself up and saw Patch sitting beside me.

"Glass is a good attempt but besides the fact that it shatters easily, you've also chosen the transparent type. They may not hear your thoughts but they can see your intentions and your plans."

I pushed myself up in a sitting position beside him. I wiped the sweat off my top lip with the back of my hand. Frustration was burning inside me and exasperation was taking root. I stood up and brushed off the dirt on my yoga pants with my hands.

"Are you ready to try again?" he asked, standing up as well.

My patience was running short. "I really don't know how to do this," I told him trying to sound curt and cold but I only achieved sounding whiny and tired.

He tucked in a loose curl to the back of my ear. "You can do it. I know you can." I caught a glimmer of metal on his ring finger. I realized it was the gold ring I had given him last summer. The ring had originally been given to me by my dad, Harrison Grey and had constantly reminded me of true love. That ring and my own ring given to me by Patch symbolize the love that we have.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice was gentler yet still had its coaxing edge.

I forced out a sigh, closed my eyes, prepared myself, and nodded. I tried to clear my head but the ring had distracted me. The memories of the night I gave it to him and the night he had showed me the etching on it took over my head. The beautiful handwriting of his name and mine on the surface of the ring was the only thing I saw behind my eyelids.

The sudden force that hit my glass shield had once again rammed against my mind but this time, I could feel the surface surrounding the handwriting shielding my thoughts against the force. It collided against me over and over again but my gold shield remained intact.

I opened my eyes, still keeping the shield carefully wrapped around my mind, and saw Patch standing in front of me in deep concentration. He met my eyes and the hits stopped abruptly. A smile crept in his lips, softening his eyes.

"Good job, Angel," he approved with a smile. His voice made my insides drop along with my shield. The next thing I knew, he had suddenly disappeared again.

_"Don't let your guard down,"_ he said in mindspeak but his voice remained his own. _"Let's try again, shall we?"_

After discovering the right shield, we honed my ability to protect my thoughts for the next two hours. By that time, I was mentally drained but could definitely protect myself. I slumped back on a boulder at the edge of the clearing; panting and sweating as if I had just ran my typical ten-mile run in the forest. Patch was also sweating, though it only made the skin glisten under the moonlight. He settled himself beside me, his hands sliding in mine naturally.

"Great job, Angel," he congratulated me again, shaking my hand encouragingly. "You've done well today."

I smiled at him though I could feel the muscles even in my face aching. "What can I say? I have a great teacher."

He suddenly stood up and pulled me up with him. He drew me close for a second before stepping away. "Come on, let's get you all cleaned up. We're going to have breakfast. I cooked."

"I like the sound of that."

I stood in the shower with the water cascading throughout my body when I heard movement in my mom's room. Quickly cleaning myself, I stepped out of the bathroom just as she had stepped out of her own room. She was pulling her pink bathrobe on and her hair looked like a tornado had just passed by and decided to style it. She looked up to see me wrapped in my towel.

"You're up early," she said, glancing at the clock on the hallway. "Did you forget it's not a school day today?"

I wiped my hair with the spare towel in my hand. "Uhm, no I didn't. I just received a message from Patch. He wants to have breakfast with me."

She frowned at Patch's name but her next words were careful as if she was deliberating to be a little diplomatic. "Breakfast? Isn't that a little early to be meeting him? I'd think he'd want to grab lunch with you later on or something but not breakfast."

I shrugged, trying to be a bit indifferent but her obvious disapproval annoyed me. "Well maybe he just wants to change things a bit, right?"

"But Nora, I'm leaving for New York soon. I want to spend as much time as I could with you. Can't Patch just wait for a few more days?"

I sucked in air to force my voice not to crack. "He's leaving too. Today's the last day I get to see him for I don't know how long." Before she could question me any further, the doorbell rang. My mom glanced at me for a second before going down the stairs to greet whoever was at the front door. I ducked inside my room.

I had just tugged on my skinny jeans and had just pulled a pink oversized knitted sweater over my head when I heard Patch greet my mom downstairs in the foyer. In turn my mom gave him a curt "Good morning." I quickly tied my hair into a fishtail braid that fell to the side, worried my mom would say something that would dampen things between Patch and me. I sprayed my strawberry perfume into the air and walked into it to achieve the slight sweet scent.

I opened the door silently and froze as I heard them conversing. I craned to listen to their voices which seemed polite enough but the tension was so obvious, it was threatening to break. I slipped on my boat shoes and snuck down the hallway.

"So Nora told me you're leaving town soon," I heard my mom pry. She tried to sound a bit friendly but the accusation and suspicion was there. She might as well have interrogated him.

"Did she?" was Patch's reply, his voice low it was barely audible.

"Why are you going out of town? Are you leaving for good?" My irritation spiked up. She could at least have bothered hiding her hopeful pitch her voice had adopted.

"That I don't know myself," Patch admitted in the same low voice. "Sorry to disappoint you."

It was silent for a while but my mom suddenly spoke, her words tumbling out fast as if she was saying what she had always wanted to say now before she lost her courage. "Nora had explained to me what happened when she was kidnapped. I know it wasn't your fault and I know you tried your hardest to bring her back to me. So I am thankful for what you have done and I apologize for suspecting you all along.

"But you can't blame me for pointing a finger at you or even suspecting you're no good for my daughter. Nora is my everything and I know the moment I saw you, you were bad news. I was right, wasn't I? All the things you had to do to save her wouldn't have been necessary if you never entered her life. Why didn't you just stay away? If you stayed away from her, maybe she would have led a normal life."

I was outraged by her words. How, after everything I had explained to her, could she still blame Patch for everything that happened to me? She was being completely psychotic, not to mention irrational. I wanted to storm in the room but Patch's words stopped me. I froze again, listening intently. I knew if I walked in their conversation, it would cease. I want them to get along. I want my mom to accept Patch and maybe this is the way, even if it means having my mom insult and accuse him over and over again.

I was suddenly worried Patch was going to walk out of the room. But I was surprised when I heard his chuckle. "Blythe, I did everything to take Nora away from Hank not for you but for myself. All the times I have saved her and even my rejection to her sacrifice, it was all because I want her to stay by my side. You are wrong if I did all of that for anyone but myself.

"This is exactly why I haven't left. I tried. I removed her every memory of me but she found her way back to me. Who am I to push her away again when the only person I want keeps finding me too? She had gone through so much and had been in danger much more than I would like, I admit, but she had become stronger now. She had found herself when she finally joined my world."

"Your world?" my mom was almost shouting, her voice enraged. "She belongs to a world where she's safe! She belongs to a world where she has a good future! That future shouldn't include you! The way I see this, all of this trouble will never go away unless you're there! It has always been that way from the very beginning!"

"You're wrong again, Blythe. These things didn't start when I entered her life. It all began when you became pregnant with Hank's daughter. Don't you see? Being associated with Hank even through blood would have endangered her by the time she reached sixteen. If I had found her, what makes you think no other fallen angel would go after her? Rumors of the Book of Enoch had already spread and several others of my kind had already tried doing what was written. Her greatest threat would have been Rixon who had Hank as his Nephil vessel. The night your husband died, Rixon was looking for Nora. He was trying to get information from Hank. It would have taken him time but he would have connected the dots.

"But I don't blame you. If you haven't gotten pregnant, Nora wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have a reason to become a better man. I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for the greatest thing you ever did.

"You're right. I'm not a good person. I have done so many things I'm not proud of. But I will never regret entering Nora's life and I plan on becoming a permanent fixture."

There was silence for a few seconds then I heard my mom gasp.

"I have Nora's ring and she has mine. I haven't taken it off since I had promised to spend my life with her. It was a blood promise that I tend to keep because I want to be in her life.

"I am the last person to want to drive a wedge between you and Nora. I want the people she cares for in her life. But I am not going to let you or anyone keep her from me. I don't want to sound threatening but she's mine. If it's any consolation, I do plan on taking care of her as long as I live."

I heard the front door slam and I knew he had walked out of the door. This was exactly the kind of thing I was trying to avoid but my mom had decidedly plunged on it headfirst. Annoyance, injustice, and anger throbbed inside me as I stomped down the stairs and into the foyer. My mom was still standing at the archway that led to our dining room, apparently deep in thought. She looked up when she heard me and met my eyes.

"I'll do us both a favor and won't pretend I didn't hear anything. How could you corner him like that, mom? How can you still be as close minded as before? Is this going to go on forever?" I was babbling on but I couldn't hold my tongue. Tears were spilling out of my eyes and I angrily slapped them away. "He's not the bad guy, mom. Why can't you just accept he's not going anywhere? I know he's not the guy you'd dream I'll marry but hey, I don't want anyone else but him."

She sighed and held up her hand as I was about to burst again. This made me angrier but she delved on before I could get a word in. "I wanted to confirm his feelings for you. You are so invested in this relationship that I need to know he's not just staying by your side because of some responsibility he feels. I want to know he's with you because he wants to be not because it's the right thing to do. I want to know he loves you as much as you love him. When you told me he was leaving, I thought he was running away from the magnitude of everything you both had gone through. I know I sound like I'm making excuses but I'm not. I wanted to face what you're both feeling and maybe I'll be able to accept it."

She placed her palms up in a silent surrender. "I was just trying to help." She hesitated before adding, "And I accept that you're with him."

I stood there, frozen at her words; my tears were still sliding down my cheek. "You accept my relationship with him?" I asked, doubting and quite stunned.

"Yes," she answered shortly. I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her waist with a bit force.

I let her go just in time to see the tears swimming in her eyes. She slapped them away and gave me a watery smile. "Well, go on. But I want you home by midnight, all right?"

I nodded and whipped around, running towards the door. My heart was light and even the freezing air couldn't dampen my spirits. It was only five-twenty in the morning and the moon was still high in the sky. His black Jeep was waiting for me at the driveway, the paint job glistening. I jogged to it, the chilly air stinging its way inside my lungs. By the time I had pulled the passenger door open, my face was flushed with cold. The warm air coming from the vents blasted to me was mixed with his scent. I greeted him with a quick kiss before pulling the seatbelts on. My heart was light until I realized he was still upset with my mother.

Though the car's heater was up, the silence couldn't be chillier. I glanced wearily at him, trying to find the exact words to say but his black eyes remained stuck on the road. I wanted to tell him my mom was just putting him through her test and he had passed with flying colors it seemed. But his eyes didn't soften until I was afraid he was angry at me as well.

I tried to think of another safe subject to talk about and settled on asking him where he was taking me, which he hadn't told me. He only told me breakfast was coming up but for all I know, that could be at the bottom of the ocean.

Ten minutes later, we had reached our destination. His car didn't slow down at the sandy beach of Delphic, as I had expected him to take me at his studio there. Instead he drove the Jeep into his townhouse's driveway. He pressed a button and his garage door slid open. His headlights shown the black motorcycle he usually used but now it was covered with a black cloth. He turned off the engine and rushed to my side to open my door. I stepped out, a bit confused with the formality.

"I thought you were angry," I commented as I walked around with him, reaching for his hand.

At this, his eyes softened as he smiled. "We don't have much time and it wouldn't help if we're both mad at each other. Come on, I want to show you something. Close your eyes."

"Is this the part where you sacrifice me to get a human body?" I asked, flashing him a smile.

"I think we're past that," he answered with his easy smile. "Besides, there's something else I want to do with your body. Come on, close your eyes or we're going to be late. And no peaking."

I didn't know what he meant by late but I held my question. I did as he said so, closing my eyes tightly. I felt his hand on my right hand and gently pulled me. Out of instinct, my free hand reached out, in case I bumped into a wall. I tried to guess where we were going, quickly studying the blueprint of the house in my head. I heard a door opening and a second later, the cool winter air greeted my face. I frowned, unsure why he was leading me to the front of the house.

"Watch your step," he murmured, his warm breath sweet against my cheek. I stepped carefully forward, expecting my foot to hit the brick steps in front of the house. But I was surprised when I stepped into wood. It confused me even more to hear water in the distance. This only meant that we were at the side of the house. Did Patch made new renovations to his place?

"Okay now stop." He let go of my hand and I froze on my place. I heard him scuffle a bit.

A second later, I felt his finger on my cheek. "Open your eyes."

My eyes fluttered open and an amazing sight had greeted me. The sky was already turning, the deep blue lightening as it mixed with a streak of orange. It reflected on the lake, making a majestic sight. I was standing on a wooden patio just outside his home. White banisters surrounded the patio, carved with intricate lines. Two white garden chairs stood angled towards each other, facing the lake. In the middle was a small round table with two plates of eggs, bacon, biscuits, and sausages, two glasses of orange juice, and two mugs of steaming coffee.

Patch walked around the chairs and straightened the plates. He looked up at me and I was surprised to see him so nervous. He gave me a wary smile and clasped his hands together.

"So what do you think?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Wow," I breathed out. I know I should have said something more intelligent but my tongue wasn't working properly.

His face broke into a wide smile and hurried to my side. He took my hand and guided me to the front, pulling the chair for me. I sat down and he laid a blanket on my lap. The smile never faded from my lips. The great view, the amazing breakfast, and him doing this all for me were more than I could take.

"This is the first time I'm doing something like this," he admitted, sitting down himself. "I wanted to at least share one beautiful sunrise with you."

I stared at the distance, watching the sun slowly creep into view. I cradled the cup of coffee in my hands and sat back, enjoying the moment. I wasn't sure if this was going to be our last but I didn't want to think about it. I wanted to just stay in this moment with him forever. "Thank you," I muttered so softly I wasn't sure he heard me.

I looked at the breakfast before me and took a bite of the sausage. I could feel his eyes on me as I chewed the meat slowly. "This is delicious," I said, amazed. "Are you sure you haven't tasted food ever?"

He took a bite himself and smiled. "I used to cook some of the tacos at the Borderline when the place was too full for the chefs to take care of every order. They would just tell me what to do. I figured I was decent enough since no one complained."

"This is amazing," I commented as I took a bite on the eggs this time. "You're giving Enzo a run for its money in terms of being my favorite go-to during breakfast."

"You're actually deliberating that?" His eyebrow shot up at me. "I mean, with the view, the food, and the cook I think the answer should be simple."

I nodded. "You're right, I think I would still go for Enzo's."

He chuckled and took my hand. "I'd love to do this with you over and over again."

I looked at the sun again, this time it was finally halfway up, painting everything a bright color of yellow-orange. I wanted to have these moments with Patch for the rest of my life. I didn't want him to go to the trial. A few months ago, when the archangels were breathing down his neck, he offered we escape and hide from them together. We could hide, running away from them, moving place to place. It was a life of uncertainty but at least we'd have each other. But he told me eventually they will find us and we'd still have to face the trial. I wanted to tell him how much I wish we could do that, just run away and think only about today. But I know he'd opt for the small possibility that he might be free from them through this trial, even if it meant there's a great risk of him being chained to hell.

"Tell me about the trial?" I approached the topic with a small voice.

He stared at me for a minute, his black eyes digging into mine. "Why do you want to know?"

"I want to face it. There's no point in dancing around the issue, Patch. I know why you're doing this sunrise-breakfast thing. No matter how much you tell me it'll be okay we both don't know what the archangels have up in their sleeves. We both don't know if this will be the last sunrise we have together. We don't even know if this will be the last day we have together. But I would feel much terrible if we'd let that threat dangle over us like a dagger waiting to strike at my heart. I don't want to run away from any possibility."

He leaned back, closed his eyes, and drew out a long breath. "I don't want to spoil anything for us."

"I know but if we talk about it for more than five seconds, at least it will be out there."

His eyes flicked open. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

I chewed on my lip. I knew the things that could happen if he was found guilty and was chained in hell. I don't know what hell looks like but I was pretty sure it would be worse than any nightmare I could think of. He had been doing the best he can for the past few centuries to avoid it.

"What makes you certain about your lawyer?" I asked, deciding to start from where he was most confident about. "Who is he?"

"His name is Basso," he answered.

I blinked in surprising, my mouth falling open. I wasn't expecting this. "Detective Basso?" I added the "detective" part since I had known him to be one until the last morning of Cheshvan.

"Detective?" he asked, grinning. "I guess he upgraded to lawyer then. Wait, how do you know him?"

"He had been around my life a few days after you entered mine. I didn't know he was an archangel investigating about devilcraft until the morning of the battle. He was the one who told me to slit my wrist which helped you to feel."

"The more reason to be confident in him then, along with my own personal list."

I cocked my head to the side. "So you know him? How?" I looked back thinking of any chance they could have met since I met Patch but I came up short. So they must know each other before Patch had fallen.

"He was my friend before I fell," he said in a low voice, confirming my assumption. I looked at his eyes which seemed so far away, looking back at his own memories. I know Patch only let a few people in and trusted even less. But I knew his experiences after he fell had led him to be this way.

"He was like an older brother to me back then," he continued. "He had done a lot for me when I was on the brink of falling. He was the one who warned me against it. He was the one who told me not to fool myself, that I was never becoming human since I was never created to be one. He had always looked out for me I guess until even now.

"When I snuck out to the human world, he was the one who made all the excuses. He stuck his neck out for me but eventually, the other archangels found out and the Avenging Angels had come for me.

"In my first trial, they didn't let him become my lawyer but he was one of the witnesses that came to my defense. He made it clear that it was a mistake and he even promised he'll guard me to make sure I never do something like that again. But as we both know none of his pleadings worked and I was sent here."

"How about today? Where exactly do you stand with him?"

He shrugged. "He seemed civil enough. Even so, things are much better he's my lawyer than any other archangel. Not many of them are sympathetic to me." When he saw my expression, he reached for my hand and gave it a soft shake. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

I nodded and let go of his hand. I reached for my fork again and bit some more food. We had gone through a lot, more hardships than I wish. This was just another obstacle we have to go through. I want to be positive about this. If they acquit him, they would have no reason to bother us any longer. The appeal had finally caught on to me.

"It'll be all right," I agreed finally.

When breakfast was done, he started to pick up the plates, telling me to stay put. He pushed the blanket around my shoulders before kissing my forehead. He headed back inside to wash the dishes and I slipped into sleep. A moment later, I woke up to see him leaning against one of the banisters, watching me.

"Wake up, Angel. We have a full day today."

I blinked and stretched a bit. "Was I out long?"

He shook his head. "If you were, I would have woken you up. Hypothermia would have caused trouble even for an immortal." He pushed himself up and leaned on my chair, his hands on either armrest. "Come on, we're going."

I tilted my head to the side. I had expected a stay-in date today and I wasn't really up to going somewhere with him. I kind of wanted to monopolize our time together and going somewhere else usually would mean distractions. Nevertheless, when he offered his hand, I took it, the blanket sliding off me.

Thirty minutes later, he stopped his car at the Delphic Amusement Park's parking lot. Situated at the edge of the Delphic beach, the Delphic Amusement Park was once the only amusement park Coldwater had for miles. Its reputation was definitely questionable. The rides endured the harsh Maine weather and sea poorly for years. Their structures were far from stable. The parking lot had more drugs than a pharmacy and most of them were illegal. The carnival food didn't give any confidence in the sanitation department either.

But this place had a lot of memories for the both of us. Most of mine are pretty recent but his goes way back. Delphic Amusement Park was built by fallen angels to hide their underground city beneath our feet. I know Patch wasn't one of those who built it but I was pretty sure he knew most of those who did. Actually I was pretty sure he knew most of the fallen angels who lived there.

But now that the fallen angels had been banished from Earth except for Patch, I could tell the amusement park was finally seeing its downfall. Though it hasn't been that long, the place had already had a desolate and abandoned feel to it. As the sun slowly climbed higher and higher up the sky, it casted shadows all over it, sending long eerie fingers of shadows in every direction, giving it a more haunted feel. For a second, I didn't want to enter the place, fearing of ghosts.

"As you can see, it's starting to fall apart," Patch pointed out, slightly waving towards the place.

"It's kind of sad," I admitted. I might as well be honest. I added, "And eerie."

"It's kind of hard keeping the huge place looking nice but then I can't say I try. I rarely go here any longer but there are really only two things I keep up with," he explained. There was a hint of darkness in his voice that made me feel like he hated the idea of being alone at such a vast place. I couldn't help but to wonder if he regretted being the only fallen angel who hadn't been banished to hell. I pushed the thought out of my head and placed it in one of my files. I really don't think I can afford thinking about this especially this close to his trial. I had lost him once. I really don't think I had the strength to go through a minute of that, much less an eternity without him.

"What's the other two you're trying to maintain?" I asked, sounding curious enough. I wanted to hide my sudden worry.

He grinned, his eyes twinkling at the same time. "The arcade and the Archangel."

My stomach did a mini-back flip at his words. The arcade and the rollercoaster ride, the Archangel, both reminded us how we started. It had seemed like forever because of everything we've been through. But in reality, it had just been a few months ago. I was out with some friends then when I had bumped into Patch, who infuriated me at the time, at the arcade. I wanted to figure him out because he knew too much about me. I had tried to ignore him but eventually, my curiosity and the strong magnet between us had lured me into riding the Archangel with him. I swore I thought I had fallen off my seat at the peak of the ride but the next thing I knew, I was holding onto Patch's arm, screaming my head off. Patch had later revealed that he was going to kill me then, to sacrifice me so he could get a human body but he didn't go through his plan and eventually settled to scaring me instead.

"Well, guess who's pretty sentimental," I grinned back at him. "So are we going to your studio?"

He shook his head. "I am in the betting mood."

I lifted an eyebrow up and crossed my arms. "No gambling here. We can always go to Bo's Arcade or the Z."

"The games here are more than enough. You'll have to win against me, three out of five games. Loser will be severely punished."

I wasn't up to any game but I might as well ride along to whatever he had planned for today. I pretended to think for a second, pressing an innocent thumb against my lips. I walked slowly to him, swaying my hips in the most subtle yet provocative way I can. When I was near enough, I wrapped my arms around his neck, amused his face lost a bit of its composure and his eyes lost their wicked glint. I was hoping this little seduction trick would get me out of the gambling.

"So, what's the punishment?" I asked in a hushed tone as if we were sharing some conspiratorial secret.

The twinkle returned in his dark eyes and a hint of smile tugged at his face. "Five rounds, non-stop, on the Archangel."

My stomach flipped and he flashed his full-on grin. I hated heights. I had my fair share of facing this fear but all those instances did nothing to alleviate this phobia. I recovered and slid a hand down his chest, ignoring my own fluttering heart. I was banking on my seduction skills, which honestly I had not used but it was worth a shot.

"Isn't that a little harsh?" I pouted my lip out a bit. I knew he wasn't going to fall for my honeyed voice but still, I gave it a shot. "You know I hate heights." I ran my hand over his chest again, lowering it a bit to his solid abs.

He caught my hand and tightly snuggled it between his palms. "Don't worry, it's a ride for two. I'll be your support system." He spoke his words with great exaggerated sarcasm.

I scowled playfully but I didn't bother to hide my annoyance. "What about you? What's your punishment?"

He ran his hand over his chin, a gesture he does when he's thinking. "Well, to be fair, I'll leave that up to you."

The first real hint of a smile slid into my face. "Scars," I purred softly. There were two scars on his smooth back that began on his shoulder blades and met each other down the small of his back, in between of his kidneys. Every fallen angel have scars like his, made when their wings were torn off. They were fallen angel's Achilles heel. Damage their wing scars by sticking something in it could paralyze a fallen angel for hours. Besides this, the wing scars also shows the fallen angel's past, showing their memories. Patch was very guarded and his past was one of the things he hid well, even from me. But I wanted to know more about his past, despite him telling me over and over again he was not a good person. The allure of knowing what he was like in every stage of his long life was too much.

He thought for a second about it, his lips thinning a bit. But after a second, he nodded slowly. "Deal."

We made our way towards the entrance of the amusement park. The whole place was more eerie than it was on the parking lot. I remembered walking on its packed pathways last spring and summer. The empty concession stands stood several feet away from ride entrances. Memories flooded me of the place with its bright lights and eerie cheerful music. Though it was no Disney World, Delphic Amusement Park was the best the good people of Coldwater had. During the weekends and vacations, the place would be so filled with people, you'd have to squeeze your way out of flocks just to get to a ride or one of the concession stands.

We approached the small building at the side, labeled "Arcade" at the top of its doorway. Patch fished out a circle of keys and flipped through the right one. He glanced at me in the corner of his eyes before pushing the door open. He tapped the walls for the lights before finding it and flicking it on. The whole place had not changed since I had last seen it. Several game consoles littered the whole building with some tables for table tennis and air hockey lined in one side of the room. Compared to the rest of the amusement park, this small building had obviously been well kept.

"So, where do we start?" I asked, glancing at a Pacman game near me.

He walked past me in his confident stride and leaned against one of the air hockey tables. "Well, this will be fun."

An hour later, I was badly defeated. Though I had won against him in air hockey and in the Pacman game, he had definitely outscored me in the hoops game, the Zombie apocalypse game, and the military war game. I had my arms crossed and a scowl was stamped on my face.

"Why can't we ride something else?" I whined as he grabbed my arm and dragged me out towards the Archangel. I looked up at the structure of the rollercoaster ride looming in front of me. When I had first rode it spring, the girl selling the tickets at the entrance said it was newly renovated. But the rusted metal and the weathered wood that made up the ride really didn't help ease my fear. Even today, as I was being dragged near it, it didn't give me confidence on safety. It actually looked even worse for wear, just like every other ride here.

"Are you sure you've been keeping up with it?" I asked.

"It works fine," he replied, emphasizing on the word "fine" a little too much for me to like. "Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you. I just don't trust it from collapsing on itself."

He laughed; the sound sent ripples of pleasure in my skin. Even though I had liked it, it didn't hinder my annoyance. I meant to push him hard but he staggered backwards only a step. "Don't laugh, I hate heights."

"Even if it did collapse, you'll walk away from it. Immortal, remember?" He rolled his eyes and my annoyance raised a notch higher.

"Yeah, well even if I did walk away from it, I'll look horrible, remember?" I retorted, my tone mockingly sarcastic.

He shrugged as he grabbed my hand towards one of the empty trains. It would have seated at least eight passengers but since it was the just the two of us, the train seems unnecessarily long. I hesitated in front of the train, staring at him pleadingly.

"You gave your word," he reproved. I sighed, seeing no way out. He held out his hand to help me climb in and strapped the slightly creaky safety barrier.

He walked away and I panicked. "Hey! You said you'll ride with me!" My voice was shrill and I grabbed the barrier, rattling it loudly. "Where are you going?!"

I heard the hydraulics of the train and I froze. It began moving slowly and I panicked even further, my hands gripping the barrier so hard my knuckles turned white. "Patch, come back here right now!" I hissed as the train began to lurch forward again.

I heard his low chuckle before I heard several fast heavy footsteps, then I saw him leap from one side of the track to the other, landing evenly. He climbed in and hurriedly placed his own seat barrier before the train started its slow ascent.

"You need to calm down more, Angel." He sounded too amused for my liking and if I wasn't clutching on to the railing hard, I would have found a way to punch his shoulder. "I just had to set the controls so we could use the ride."

"This isn't funny and I don't want to hear anything from you!" I glared at him. We were reaching the crest of the tracks, the statue of the male archangel meeting us at the very top. I didn't want to look down. The height would just make me dizzy so I opted on focusing my eyes at something in the horizon. I chose the sea, which seemed consistent whatever altitude you are in. The slowly creeping winter had sent its cold air against us, making me shiver but it was more on the fear inside me rather than the temperature itself.

The train tilted forward but it didn't plunge on, extremely enjoying my discomfort with all the air between the ground and myself. I could almost hear Patch laughing beside me, which he probably did in his mind. I glared again at him and there he was, grinning from ear to ear. I opened my mouth to say something but the words were sucked right out of me when the train plunged forward with gravity and its own mechanics working with it. The scream making its way to my mouth got stuck on my throat. I held on to Patch, my nails digging into the skin on his arm.

_"Open your eyes, Angel," _he coaxed gently in mind speak. I shook my head and I felt his hand pressed against my face. _"Come on, open them. I want to show you something."_

Hesitantly I opened them and another beautiful view had met my eyes. We were flying, high up the ground, headed for the horizon. It looked like we had escaped the safety restraints of our seats and took off, using the train's velocity as it sped through the tracks to our advantage. We passed the never-ending blue of the ocean, the cool wind whipping our faces. I looked up to see Patch holding me in his arms, his muscles tight. His face was serious, his eyes holding the familiar tint of steel black but when he saw me staring at him in what must have been awe, his eyes melted to their usual velvety black.

My eyes wandered towards the sky but came up short as I saw the two huge, black wings protruding from Patch's back. It flapped and beat steadily, cutting the air with their sure rhythm.

"Patch, your wings!" I gasped, my jaw hanging open. "How did you-?"

The teasing grin came back and I was thrown back against him, my cheek hitting his shoulder. The ride was coming to its end, the train slowing down to a stop to the platform. The hydraulics puffed the last of the air before the train froze and the safety restraints lifted off us. I was still shaking; unable to catch up to what just happened. Patch guided me out of the train, holding on to my hand as I climbed up.

"Are you okay, Angel?" he asked, his smile was polite but his eyes twinkled in amusement.

"You mind-tricked me into seeing that," I whispered. Confusion, annoyance, and awe mixing together, leaving me speechless. A familiar feeling climbed its way into my head as I remembered the night I first rode the Archangel with Patch. He had mind-tricked me as well. He made me see I was falling off the ride.

"You didn't have to do that," I narrowed my eyes to slits.

He shrugged. "You needed to learn that it's easier for someone to invade your mind if you're running high on emotions." His face turned serious. "If someone knows your fears, they will use that to their advantage. Never let them use that against you."

"So it was just all for a lesson?" I asked, my annoyance increasing. I know he did it to keep me aware and guarded but he didn't have to do it on that extent.

He shook his head, his grin slowly returning. "No, not exactly. I remembered the last time we were here I showed you an unpleasant image. Though it was fun finally seeing you break your own carefully crafted shell, I felt like I owed you another view." His eyebrow lifted inquiringly. "Didn't you like it?"

The velvet quality his voice had adopted confused me a bit, wiping my mind blank. I grasped to catch what we were talking about but I only opened and closed my mouth like a fish. He waited for me patiently, his face was politely expectant but I knew he was enjoying this. "I liked it," I declared defiantly.

He placed his hands out and nodded as if he was convinced. "All right. Well, we're done here. Come on." He offered his hand out.

I stared at him, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Where are we going?"

His grin was back. "I think I owed you a beach date."

"Beach date?" I repeated, doubtfully. "It's almost winter. The water will be freezing."

"Just trust me," he said, grabbing my hand. He led me towards the back of the amusement park and stopped in front of a high fence that divided the park and the beach. He climbed over it with relative ease and I followed him.

During this time of the year, the Delphic Beach was almost void of people. Even though it was a weekend and despite it being a little sunny, the cold temperatures didn't attract any tourists. The locals are too busy trying to warm up inside their homes to even come take a walk at the newly renovated board walk. We had the beach to ourselves.

Behind one of the dunes that separated the beach itself to Delphic Amusement Park, Patch had taken out a roll of blanket and a basket. We made our way near the water, laying out the multicolored blanket. He carefully set down the basket before sitting down himself.

I couldn't help smirking as I sat down beside him. "You really thought of everything, didn't you?"

"It doesn't hurt to be a little prepared when it comes to these things," he said lightly.

The rest of our day was spent on the beach, cuddling on the blanket, and watching the clouds roll over us. Like the sunrise that morning, I chose to enjoy the moment and forget the future. We didn't talk much, maybe because words will probably ruin this or maybe there was nothing left to say. But I had a feeling that if we talked, we'd talk once again about the impending future. If this was the last day I had with Patch, I wanted it to be as peaceful and memorable. I didn't want the uncertainty of the future threaten this quiet date, even though throughout the day, it had been threatening to break me down into anxiety attacks.

We had stayed in the beach long enough to watch the sun set in the horizon. It was as beautiful as the rise earlier but it had a solemn, sobering quality. If the sunrise signifies a new beginning, a new hope, a renewed sense of happiness, the sunset had determined the end of the day and the beginning of the end of my time with Patch for who knows how long. As we walked away from our spot to head out to his Jeep, I didn't let go of his hand, afraid that if I let go, our time together will be up.

We drove again, this time, returning to his townhouse. I could feel the electricity in the air crackling around us as we stepped inside the home and I knew it would break any second. It was just a matter of who will make the first move. I could feel the both of us holding it in throughout the day and even repressing it as we cuddled in the beach. It wasn't a decency thing. The tension was repressed in the beach because it was just a perfect moment and doing something will break the fragile existence of the peace.

But now as we stood there, the calm before the storm, we both know, and perhaps are a bit glad, that the perfect peace of the moment was gone. Nothing but passion was left to resolve with. I had a clear insight on what I was about to do for a few seconds before Patch grabbed me by the arm and pulled me against him, his lips hungrily meeting mine. He roamed my mouth with his tongue and I answered with my own passion burning through me and into my kisses.

He hoisted me up and I hooked my legs around his waist. He gently pushed me up against the wall on his living room. His hands slid inside my sweater, sending electricity against the skin of my stomach and my back. My hands slid through his curly hair and landed on the back of his neck pushing him closer. His mouth made its way to my jaw and traveled down to the side of my neck. My thoughts jumbled together, my brain focusing on the pleasure his touches and kisses were giving me. I felt his hands slid further up my back, nearing my bra strap and that reeled me in back to reality.

"No," I whispered, barely getting the word out. It was difficult for me to stop let alone stop him from taking our relationship further.

He looked up at me, confused. "No?" he repeated questioningly.

"No," I replied, my voice sounding hollow.

"There's not much conviction there, Angel," he said with a polite smile but his eyes were suddenly a degree colder. Nonetheless, he planted my feet gently back on the ground. He hesitated first before finally breaking our contact. He leaned against the wall opposite mine and stared at me, waiting for an explanation.

"I want to, I really do," I insisted earnestly.

"But you're just afraid of giving yourself when you're still uncertain about the future," he guessed, his voice was hollow but I could feel the implication. He was accusing me of being a coward, of reeling in when he was about to give all of himself to me with nothing to gain and everything to lose.

I shook my head vigorously. "I did think of that but that's not the reason." I gulped some air and sighed. My lip was starting to tremble at the way his voice and his eyes had suddenly gone colder. "Don't you see? This will be the last test for us. If we get through this and do it when we're not worrying about anything else, then it'll be a lot sweeter for the both of us." I approached him warily, cautiously pressing my palm against his cheeks. When he didn't pull away from my touch, I felt relief sweep over me. "You already have most of me and I am willing to give everything to you. I'm not afraid of giving you my all but I want to do it when it's the perfect time for the both of us."

He was silent for a few seconds but he nodded. "Where do you want to go? Do you want to go home?"

"I want to stay here," I amended, taking his hand and sliding my fingers with his. I glanced at the watch on his kitchen wall. It was only seven and my curfew was twelve. I really had no intentions of going home right now.

He pecked my lips. "I'll cook dinner." He walked towards the kitchen and I heard the stove being turned on.

His kitchen was divided from the dining room by a granite counter lined with three barstools. I slid into one and I watched as he moved around, preparing several ingredients. He had a large pot boiling water. After a few minutes, he had plopped in pasta. He took out a skillet and started boiling oil. He sliced garlic, tomatoes, anchovies, and olives. He fried the garlic and added in the tomatoes. He then added anchovies, tomato paste, capers, olives, and red pepper flakes. He drained the pasta when it was done and mixed in the finished sauce. He placed the Puttanesca in two plates and served one to me. He slid to the barstool beside me and dug in. I took a bite myself and smiled.

"You know, since you're an immortal, you have a lot of time in your hands," I said in between bites.

"Yeah, and?"

"And I was just thinking, maybe you want to go to a culinary school or something. You can really cook."

He threw back his head and laughed. "I only cook for one special private client."

"You know what, you're right. This is too good for me to share."

After dinner, I took it as my responsibility to wash the dishes since he had cooked. He wanted to do it, to complete the task as to speak but I insisted he watched T.V. or at least stay out of my way. He opted in watching me work behind the counter. Once the dishes were done, it was almost nine. I hung a washcloth that I used on the counter near the sink to dry.

When I turned around, he was staring at me, his eyes focused as if I was the most interesting thing on the planet. I gave him a smile as the butterflies on my stomach returned. He got up and walked around the counter, his hand sliding through the surface. The anticipation had built in my stomach and I was once again in his arms.

He entered the Jeep into my driveway, three hours later. I could see my mom's light still on and I imagined her straining to hear every car that passed by the farmhouse, which is definitely not a lot. The car stalled as we remained seated, the heat blasting from the air vents.

My jaw and my lips were trembling. This was going to be good-bye for now. I fought the urge to cry but the tears stung the back of my eyes. I pushed the tears away, trying hard to be inconspicuous about it. But I felt his eyes burning on the side of my face. He reached over and tugged me to get closer to him. I crawled over the console and slid on to his lap, facing him. He leaned close, his forehead against mine and his breath warm on my face.

"I will come back to you," he whispered gently. "Nothing can keep me from you. Even if the archangels find me guilty, I will never let them keep me from coming back to you."

My heart sank at the words "guilty" and I buried my face on his chest. His arm was around me, comforting and protective at the same time. His free hand stroked the curly locks of my hair.

"Sshh, Angel. It will be all right," he muttered.

I turned to him and he wiped the tears off my face with his hands. "I love you, Angel. Nothing else matters, not the archangels, not this trial, and not hell."

Like a child, I nodded, my body trembling as I took in gasps of breath. I saw the light in my mom's room flicker on and off, signaling me to come inside already. He wrapped his arms around me again, his lips pressing against mine. The way his mouth moved against mine was sad and longing.

"We'll get through this," he said with finality. "We've gone through worse."

I slid off him and ran towards the house. Before I disappeared inside, I looked back and waved longingly to him. I watched as he backed out of my driveway and disappeared into the night.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The sound of my phone chirping Vee's ringtone and vibrating incessantly below my pillow tore me away from my dream. I scowled at the phone's screen as I checked the time. It was three in the morning. It took all of my effort not to hurl the thing across my room.

"You better have a good reason why you're calling me at this annoyingly early hour."

"Yeah, I actually do so get your butt off your bed now," Vee commanded from the other line.

"You're kidding. I'm going back to sleep." I hung up.

I heard the phone ringing downstairs. She must be insane. My mom was on the other room, sleeping. Vee must at least know if she's calling the landline, she's bothering the whole house. Once the ringing downstairs stopped, I groaned and dialed Vee's number.

"Vee, normal people sleep at night. We're not vampires."

"Yeah, well I know you'd wake up for Patch," she said knowingly. At her words, my body shot straight up to a sitting position.

"What about Patch?" I asked apprehensively.

"He told me to train with you."

"Train me? Patch talked to you?" This wasn't what I was expecting. I wasn't ignorant of Vee's disapproval of Patch though of course, she had gotten past that ever since she learned about the world we both belong into now. She still didn't trust him but at least the gang-involvement comments had stopped. Apparently, now they've taken their relationship to a whole new level.

"Yeah and he told me I better make sure you're well prepared for anything or it's my neck on the line. See I told you your boyfriend is psychotic."

Okay, there's the crazy comments I was expecting from her. "Don't tell me, training starts today," I groaned again, slumping back to my pillows. They were so tempting right now.

"I'm already here, waiting for you in the cold, freak. Meet me in your front yard as soon as you can."

I hung up and reluctantly slid off the bed, pulling a pair of jogging pants and a thick jacket on. Out of habit, I was out of the house within five minutes, walking towards Vee. She had her hair tied up to a tight bun on top of her head. She was wearing her matching electric pink Victoria's Secret sweatpants and sweatshirt.

"When did this arrangement with Patch happened?" I asked her as soon as I was in earshot. "I thought you hated him."

"No, I never said I hated him. I was suspicious of him," she replied defensively but I gave her my "really" look. She waved it away and added, "Anyways, he called me last night. He told me everything." She looked at me wearily.

I bit my lip. "Really?"

"Are you okay?" she asked a moment later.

I forced myself to smile in reassurance but it felt stiff. I was sure she saw right through it. She returned me the "really" look and I dropped the pretense. "I'll be fine," I sighed.

I stared at her expectantly, not wanting to talk about this any further. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked changing the subject quickly, away from the trial. It was the first time I was going to train with Vee and I wondered how different it will be compared to the previous trainings I had under Patch and Dante.

"Fine, come on." She turned and I expected her to walk towards the forests where my other instructors had trained me but instead, she walked out of my driveway and into the road. The farmhouse was situated in Hawthorne Lane, an area that seem to have sucked in most of Maine's fog and dumped it in my front yard. The dark had made the mist seem like restless, trapped souls were converging in on us. I guess my parents were never really convinced on the whole institution of neighbors since mine were about seven miles away. However, even the farmhouse seemed isolated from the rest of the world, I wouldn't trade it for any other house. It had most of my adoptive father's memory and that's something I wouldn't dare lose anytime soon.

"Where are we going?" I asked as soon as I caught up with her. She was already stretching, staring intently ahead.

"We're going to run," she said, nodding towards the road ahead of us.

I frowned. Vee had always been the lazy type and I suspect she wasn't taking this training thing as seriously as Patch would have liked. "Where's the challenge in that?"

She smiled slyly, seeing my expression. "Well this is just the warm-up babe. Wait till I show you what I got in store for you. You think Scott and I did nothing for the past few months after I discovered what I am?" She moved towards the pavement, facing the road intently. "You are so out of civilization that your nearest neighbor is miles away. We'll focus on your speed first. You'll have to race me as fast as you can from here to the first house we see and back again and that will be one lap. We will have five laps and you must beat me in all of them."

I was still unconvinced but I followed her on the road nevertheless. She lifted three fingers up then put them down one by one. When the last finger was down, she took off.

During the Nephilim-Fallen Angel battle, Vee and I got separated. My focus was solely on defeating Dante so I didn't know what kind of training she had gone through under Scott. But obviously he had trained her well. Vee was zooming away from me; her speed was incredible. She was a blur in the night and if I didn't have my Nephil senses, I wouldn't be able to see her.

Realizing I was desperately falling behind, I took off. The advantages of being born a Nephil naturally was against me. Even if I ran with all my might, my quite new running shoes steadily pattering against the asphalt, I wasn't catching up to her. I was never fast even when I was training with Dante. My speed improved and I was able to avoid sudden dips and other obstacles in the forest more easily but Dante had always outran me. I tried matching her speed but almost immediately, the muscles in my calves started complaining from a month of lack of activity. I scowled, ignoring the strain and pushed my speed.

Vee was waiting for me in front of our neighbor's house, her foot slightly tapping. A smile spread on her lips when I slowed to a stop in front of her. "Not so easy now, is it?" She was enjoying this.

"Okay, I get it." I was afraid my face was frozen in the same scowl, the wind whipping as I ran freezing the muscles in my face. "It's not easy."

"This is just the warm-up," she reminded me again. "We'll run back and this time try to keep up with me." She didn't even count down before whipping past me again.

By the time we had finished the run, the sun was slowly making its way back to the heavens. The sky was considerably lighter. With a sudden pang, I realized that a week ago, Patch and I were eating breakfast at his place and watching the sun rise. The sudden heaviness of his absence was almost too real. The stinging in my eyes warned me of oncoming slaughter of tears but I pushed them away by focusing on my fatigue.

I slumped on the gutter in front of our house. The cool sweat rolling down my back sent shivers through me. My hair was stuck in the nape of my neck. My breathing was heavy and my calves were throbbing. Vee sat beside me, looking a bit more composed than I did. I was supposed to do five laps, with one lap equaling fourteen miles. But my legs had refused to take another step when I was halfway through my third lap. I pleaded Vee to just walk back home. She had done the five laps easily, therefore she agreed. Though of course, I didn't escape her "I told you so" gazes.

"Come on, we're not done yet," she stood up and offered me her hand. I glared at her before taking it. She lowered her eyelashes and her eyes glinted as she smiled again. "You'll enjoy this one."

"What is it?" I asked guarded as we walked back to my back yard. I wondered silently what other abuses Vee had came up with. She stepped as far away as my back yard could possibly let her until she was on the other side, about forty-five feet away from where I stood.

"We're going to practice hand-to-hand combat," she called out.

"What?" Well, this is unexpected and seriously surprising. Vee and I had never gotten into a physical fight before. We rarely get into fights period. But she was already charging towards me with force. Her blonde hair had broken free from her tight ponytail and was waving wildly behind her.

Within a second, she was in front of me, her right arm extended stiffly at her side, meaning to catch me by the neck to throw me off balance. With just a split second to think, I ducked down and staggered to the side. My sneakers slid against the damp grass and I was momentarily outbalanced. I regained my footing by stepping solidly but it was enough to distract me. Vee had taken that opportunity to lunge at me, pinning me against the cold grass. My head hit the frozen ground hard and the air whooshed out of my lungs. The world swung around for a second as I saw different colors.

I could feel the dew seeping through my sweatpants and my sweater. When my vision was steady enough, I tried to move but her legs had pinned my arms and the seat of her pants was firmly on my stomach, cutting circulation to my legs. Her fist was drawn up before it came down on me, fast. But it didn't make contact with my face, though that didn't stop me from flinching. Instead, Vee had planted the punch solidly on the ground just inches beside my head.

"You need more practice," she said, her eyes staring directly at me. "But you are a lot better than when you fought Marcie at the Devil's Handbag." Despite my struggles, I blushed, remembering the incident with slight embarrassment. I had never really fought in my life but to my surprise I had clipped Marcie in the jaw, though not before she had given me a black eye. Vee slipped off me, brushed grass from her sweats, and offered me a hand once again. I took it, straightening up myself.

"I haven't practiced in a while," I defended, pouting.

"I thought Patch trained you?" she demanded, her eyebrow lifting. "Unless you were doing something else I should know about."

I rolled my eyes. "Actually he taught me how to block other people from my mind."

"He just taught you? Scott had trained me on that a long time ago," she said. Her face darkened and I knew she didn't intend to mention Scott. I placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. I knew she was still hurting.

I decided not to press on about her feelings. She would tell me when she's ready. I changed the topic. "So, can we go again?"

We practiced until the sun was up in the sky and the temperature had warmed considerably. We had been lunging, punching, and swinging at each other for at least two hours, both of us looking extremely filthy. Our workout clothes were damp with sweat and dew. Streaks of soil and grass ran at long lengths. Our hair had adopted the smell of the ground and few clumps of soil and grass stuck on it, my curly hair accumulating more dirt than Vee's hair. We were sweaty and panting. When we collapsed on the ground, we decided we were done for the day.

"I am hungry," she commented, placing a hand on her stomach. At that moment, her stomach growled loudly.

"I can go and cook eggs for us," I said, biting back laughter. I stood up and made my way back to the house. She followed me, smiling in response.

The house was still dead silent when we entered through the back door. We silently passed the kitchen and soon was heading up the stairs. Vee had been my best friend long enough to know where the floor creaks and we both avoided them easily. We reached my door without incident, closing the door behind us slightly.

"You can go ahead and take a shower," she said a moment later, examining the perfume on top of my drawer. "If your mom wakes up, you'll at least be ready to face her. When you're done, you can cook breakfast for the both of us, unless the dictator wants to do that for us."

I chuckled slightly, grabbing an off-shoulder pink top I had borrowed from her a few weeks ago. I chose one of my bigger jeans, knowing the jeans I normally wore wouldn't fit her tall and curvy figure. My extremely close friendship with Vee was the only thing keeping me from being completely jealous of her European looks and model-worthy height.

"Here, you can use this," I told her, tossing her the clothes before grabbing my own stuff and heading out to the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. I opened my door slightly to tell Vee it was her turn to clean up. It was already six forty-five in the morning. Usually by this time, my mother would have been awake. I crossed the hallway to her room and silently opened the door. She was there, her snores were light. I could see several luggage pushed against the wall.

I headed downstairs, my feet a bit mechanical. Even though I was used to my mom leaving for out of town trips and leaving me to be independent, this was different from everything else. Her departure feels more final, more permanent. I know I have to face this someday. I had never planned on staying in Coldwater and meeting Patch didn't change that. I planned on going to the other side of the country and maybe even living there permanently. But the idea still made my stomach drop in dread and loneliness. The feelings only intensified as I thought of Patch.

I forced my head to clear as I turned on the stove. I rummaged the fridge for ingredients and started to cook. By the time Vee had sashayed into the dinning room, the eggs were ready. A second after Vee had settled in a chair, I heard my mom's footsteps and sure enough, she entered the dining room as well. She was in her pajamas, her hair was mussed and her eyes were puffy.

I glanced towards Vee to see her smiling widely at my mom's appearance. "Good morning Mrs. G.," she said cheerfully.

My mom, who was wiping her eyes sleepily, froze as her eyes landed on Vee. She glared at me meaningfully before turning back to Vee. "Vee! I didn't know you would be sleeping over!" She said in surprise. "I must look dreadful. I'm so sorry. If Nora told me she would be having guests over I would have at least fixed myself." She spoke her last sentence through gritted teeth. I dodged back into the kitchen to get some more eggs.

"You're all right, Mrs. G. I've seen Nora worse, if that's any consolation." I heard Vee told her. I could tell she was extremely enjoying this.

I returned with a plate a few seconds later. My mom's hair was somewhat smooth but there were still clumps on the bottom of her head. I assumed she had attempted to flatten her hair with her hands. I settled down beside her and began eating breakfast.

"So Vee, I feel like I haven't seen you in a while," my mom began, her eyes watching Vee with polite curiosity. "Did you sleep here last night?"

Vee shook her head, then a smile crept in her face. "Lately, I'm not the person Nora wants to sleep over. She wants them dark and tall."

I kicked her under the seat and she discreetly shrugged innocently. Thankfully my mom didn't seem to catch her last comment.

"How have you been? How's school? Do you have any idea what you'll do for college?"

Vee shrugged at my mom's questions. "I'm good. School is still not my favorite place to be in and college…well I'm taking my junior year a day at a time. Some of my priorities have changed from my future."

My mom frowned, Vee's words catching her curiosity. "Priorities? How exactly did your priorities change? There can't be anything else that is more important than your future, can there?"

I almost smacked myself for forgetting to tell my mom Vee was a Nephil too. But then, telling her would have some complications. She was relatively close to Vee's mom. How exactly would you tell her that Mrs. Sky had done the big deed with a fallen angel when she's supposed to be happily married with Vee's father? Besides, it is not my secret to reveal. I only told my mom about Patch, Hank, his family, and myself. I purposefully edited Scott's involvement. My mother and I had both known Scott for a long time, our families were close a long time ago. My mom was also close to his mom and like Vee's mother, she also had slept with a fallen angel. But it wasn't the only reason why I didn't mention him. I just didn't know how to talk about Scott without breaking down and crying.

I could feel Vee's eyes drop to me, a glint shining in her eyes. _"So you didn't tell her?"_ she asked in mind speak. _"I thought you're not going to keep any secrets from her?"_

_"Well in all honesty, I didn't even know you were one of us until last month when you told me."_

_ "I don't blame you. I wasn't aware either. You're forgiven."_ She turned to my mom and smiled. "It's not like I'm not planning for my future. I do plan to travel, probably to Europe once I finish high school."

This wasn't the answer I was expecting. I let my fork clatter. "You're leaving? Since when did this happen?"

"Last month," she replied meaningfully. "It just hit me one day, that there were things in life that can easily be taken from me. I want to enjoy my life, no matter how short or how long it is. So I want to take that risk and adventure, you know?"

"When were you going to tell me?" I asked in disbelief. She was my best friend and she wasn't telling me big plans like this? "And why is everyone leaving me?" I added a bit frustrated.

She waved her hand. "I'm telling you now. You'll be fine. And it's not like I'm leaving any time soon. By the time I can go, you'd probably be doing your own thing."

We finish breakfast and my mom offered to wash the dishes. Vee and I fled back to my room. Once I slammed the door shut behind me, I crossed my arms and glared at her.

"Explain."

She shrugged innocently. "Explain what?"

"Europe. Why Europe?"

"Oh come on, babe. You're blowing it out of proportions. It's not that much of a big deal. Like I said, it's not like I'm leaving soon." She smiled teasingly. "Don't worry. I won't leave until I know you're set for life."

I rolled my eyes and slumped on the bed beside her. "I feel like everyone has plans beside me."

"Really? Is that what's been bothering you?"

I met her eyes seriously. "Weeks before the war, things like school and college had taken a back seat. I was so preoccupied with the Nephilim army Hank had passed down to me and my blood oath, the rebellion, appeasing the archangels, and finding a way to solve everything that I literally stopped living a normal life. But now everything is done, I don't know what to do anymore. I tried concentrating back on school but going through things like that, it just takes away the importance of other things."

She leaned back on my bed and smiled. "Then just start a life with Patch, easy enough."

"You mean like a family?"

She shrugged. "Why not?"

I bit my lower lip. "Vee, look what happened when the fallen angels mated with humans and created creatures that's not supposed to walk this earth. Starting a family is just out of the question right now."

She chuckled. "You might make a demon baby. Who else do we know is a freak of nature besides us?"

"Well," I said slowly, trying to think of other births that have never been heard of. "Marcie's parents are both first-generation Nephils. Look at how long her life has been."

"Oh geez, you're not comparing your future baby with Patch with that ho, are you?" Vee remarked, disgusted.

I made a disgusted face too. "Oh, no, you're right. Well, never mind then."

She placed a hand on my shoulder, her face turning serious. "The beauty of being an immortal is that you'll have forever to figure it out." She smiled comfortingly at me. "And that's how much time we'll have with each other, anyways. It's not like I'm going to completely be out of your life when I do go abroad. But look at it in my perspective. I don't want to hang around you and Patch, always feeling like the third wheel. I want to experience my own life too."

"You're right." I sighed slightly a moment later. "I guess I'm just a bit down. Patch isn't here and my mom is about to leave."

"Then let me take you to the Devil's Handbag!" she shrieked, her face suddenly lighting up.

I shook my head automatically. Her face fell. "My mom's leaving tomorrow. I really want to spend time with her."

She puffed out a sigh. "Fine. But you can't avoid going to the Devil's Handbag with me. I'll drag you sooner or later, even if I have to drag you by your hair."

After Vee left, I found my mom on her room. She was sitting on a luggage she was forcing to close. Her hair, which had been washed and brushed, was now back to its mussed state. She looked up when she noticed me standing in her doorway, watching her pack her bags. With a final slam of her weight against the bag, it relented and she finally closed it properly.

She stood up, a bit breathless. "Well, packing never gets easier, does it? At least I'm finished and ready for tomorrow."

I settled down on her bed and laid there. She followed, lying down beside me. She pulled me in closer and I rested my head on her outstretched arm. I closed my eyes as her fingers brushed through my hair like she did when I was younger.

"I'll miss you," she whispered. "I know I'll be able to see you every month but still, it won't be the same."

"I'll miss you too, mom," I replied softly.

"You may never know, I might be able to hire Dorothea again."

I looked up at her abruptly, frowning. "Mom, I can take care of myself. You told me this is a good thing, remember? That this is training for college."

She bit her lip but then nodded. "I know I said that but it wouldn't hurt if someone just knows you're being taken care of."

"Seriously mom, don't worry. I have Vee for that."

"Right, because Vee always knows to do the right thing."

Okay, she has a point. "Maybe not, but she always has my best interest at heart," I suggested; it came out like a question.

"And what about when Patch gets back? Nora, I don't want you stopping your studies for a guy even if I know he's as invested in you as you are to him. Besides, I know there will be temptation. The important thing is you take care of yourself first before you take care of others." Her voice was careful, dancing around whatever topic she wanted to tell me.

I know where she was getting at. I sighed. It was the second time this day this topic had been brought up. Was I really that easy? Did people really think I'd just give myself? Well maybe not. But it's not a secret I was madly in love with him and I would do anything for him. I was suddenly proud of myself for saying no to him that night, almost a week ago. I wanted to tell my mom this but then, Patch's attempt would probably plummet his approval ratings. Better not risk it.

"I promise mom, I'm not going to do anything that would make me regret it." I paused for a second. "Besides, I have dreams of entering Stanford, Yale, and Harvard remember? I have my ambitions and I'm not going to let all of my hard work go to waste." I might as well throw in the three big names to ease her, though I have a feeling there wasn't any remote chance of me enrolling in any of those three.

This seem to satisfy her, however. She smiled and started combing through my hair again. We were silent for a few minutes but a question began burning in my throat. "Mom?"

She was dosing off but she stirred when she heard my voice. "Yeah?"

"Did you ever love Hank as much as you loved dad?"

The question had certainly took her off guard but I knew she suspected I was going to ask something like this sooner or later. She knew I hated Hank and resented her for even considering dating him. She pondered on the question for a bit and I knew she was choosing her words wisely.

"I liked him enough to want to get to know him. But then of course, what I found out wasn't that pleasant."

"Did it hurt when he died?"

It was another question she didn't seem to want to answer. I waited as she chose her words again. "It was unpleasant, yes. You must understand, Nora, he… we dated when we were younger, before I met your father. We were so in love back then. But your father came along and we got married. I learned to love him and well, everything is history now.

"But when Hank walked in to my life again when everything just seems so dreary, it was like I wanted to have hope again. Of course, he was different from the man I loved. I tried getting to know him and giving him a chance but somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I really didn't love him. I just used him for the security. I realized, especially after you told me about…Cheshvan and the whole Nephilim society, I'd rather be lonely and have you than go through losing you and having Hank." She gave me a smile. "Besides, imagine if I have to force myself to live with Marcie."

"Did it hurt losing Hank as much as losing dad?" A moment later as I absorbed her words. I could never say Hank was my dad. He gave me life but he will never be more than that. My real father is Harrison and nothing, not even Hank's Nephil blood flowing in my veins, could change that.

"No," she said almost immediately. "Nothing could ever hurt as much as losing your father. Well, no, that's not right. When you were kidnapped, the days not having you around, that hurt as much as losing Harrison."

I closed my eyes, satisfied with her answer. "You'll never lose me again, mom. Never."

We spent the rest of the day, lounged at her room. She asked me questions about Patch and I answered as much as I can. Her questions dug into Patch's past of course, but I couldn't answer most of them, partly because I didn't want to tell her about the horrors in his past but most of it is because I didn't know the answers to her questions myself. By ten at night, she was already asleep and I was bothered by how little I knew about Patch. Finally, after three hours, I settled into an uneasy sleep.

After an hour, my mom shook me awake. Her flight leaves at seven so we'd have to be at the airport at least by five. Coldwater doesn't have its own airport. The nearest airport is in Portland, an hour drive from Coldwater. I got up, hurriedly wash my face and brushed my teeth before tugging a hoodie over my head and pairing it with a pair of long black tights. I squeezed in my shoes and went back to my mom's room to help her load her luggage in her Corolla.

I cranked up the heater when I got in the driver's seat. I waited for her to strap herself in before backing up out of the driveway. Within minutes, we were on the main road, poised to take the interstate. After an hour, I slowed in front of the sliding doors of Delta. There were already people bustling in and out of the airport, looking extremely preoccupied.

My mom and I got out of the car. I opened the trunk and helped her heave the bags out. She dragged all three of them near the door, having a little trouble getting all of them up off the road. Thankfully, the two flight attendants standing at a desk near the door approached us and offered to help. They took one bag each, waiting patiently for my mom. But she looked back at me, tears were filling her eyes.

"Oh baby, I'll miss you," she sobbed as she threw her arms around me. I held her back tight.

"I'll miss you too mom."

"Take care of yourself, all right?" She pushed herself off of me, wiping tears with her fingers. "And I want you to call me every hour. If anything happens, I will be on the first flight back. Tell me when Vee is sleeping over and when Patch gets back, okay? And don't starve."

I nodded, feeling my own tears. She held my eyes and cupped her hand against my cheek. "I love you baby."

"I love you too, mom," I replied, barely a whisper. She hugged me again, took a sharp breath, let go off me, turned, and went inside with the two flight attendants. Before she disappeared, she turned back to me and waved. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks and wiped them away hastily before waving back at her.

Portland is one of the largest cities in Maine. I had planned on spending a day here, exploring the city, and maybe even shopping after I had dropped off mom to the airport. But now that she was gone, a kind of loneliness had settled over me. The city did not held as much allure. All I wanted to do was to go home and curl underneath my bed. I got back into the car and turned to the road. My mom and I didn't speak much when we were on the car to the airport but the silence wasn't chilly or awkward. It was comfortable, as if there was no need for words. But now, the car felt a little too quiet. I turned on the radio and tried to wash away the loneliness I felt.

By the end of the hour, I was within the city limits of Coldwater. I was about to take the road that eventually led to Hawthorne Lane but the farmhouse felt empty and a little haunting. I took another route and ended up stopping in front of Patch's townhouse. His Jeep Commander was parked there in the driveway and his garage was closed. I got out of the Corolla and walked to the front door. I opened it and found the place empty. But his scent had taken over the whole house. It was so strong I felt like he was going to walk into the room with his easy smile. I walked towards his bedroom. The silk sheets of the bed was smooth and welcoming but looked like it hadn't been laid on for a while.

I settled down on the bed, glancing around. The masculine features of his bed, his black drawer, and black closet had blended in so well with the shape of the room it was painfully smooth. I slid inside the sheets, feeling the glorious sleekness against my skin. In moments I had drifted off.

The following days, it became my routine to stay at his place every night. I would go to school in the morning, then go home after school. I had programmed the home phone so all calls would be forwarded to my cell phone so my mom wouldn't get suspicious. Then I would go back to his place with several of my things like clothes, my book bag, and even food since the cupboards were mostly empty. I would stay there until the day restarts again.

Days turned to weeks and November eventually crossed over to December, yet I still have not heard from Patch. Every single day, my fears of him never coming back deepened. What if he had been sent to hell without even a good-bye from me? How did I know the archangels hadn't found him guilty? With nothing else to occupy my time, I was slipping into a depression.

My mom had returned home the last weekend of November. She told me all about New York and how things were so different from Coldwater. I was happy she was enjoying herself but I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it with her. Though of course I forced myself to smile and talk to her about the Big Apple for hours. My mood definitely didn't improve, however, when she told me she wasn't going to be able to come home next month. The Holidays was the busiest season even for Auction agencies. Hugo had asked her to stay with a promise of an even bigger pay. When she left, relief of not having to put up a show of happiness any longer swept over me. I returned to Patch's place and my routine took over again.

I was thankful that Vee continued to train me during the weekends, though she had tried to chase out my whereabouts during the week. I had no intention of telling her I was staying at Patch's place, probably because I wasn't sure how this would make me look. Nevertheless, Vee had slowly seen my despair, even if I tried to keep it away from her.

"Would you tell me what's going on with you?" she asked after a grueling shield-strength training on the first Saturday of December. Her face was red and shining after I had blown her own shield into pieces and gave her the illusion that she had been running for seventeen hours.

I shrugged, putting my defenses up quickly. "Nothing," I lied smoothly.

Her eyebrows lifted. "Oh, so this whole avoid Vee thing is nothing? You know babe, I told you there's no secrets between best friends. I thought we were past keeping shocking news and revelations from one another?"

She waited patiently for my response. I could only shrug again. "I really don't have anything going on."

She groaned in disbelief. "Yeah, this whole depression thing is nothing to be worried about. Won't you tell me?" Her voice was almost pleading.

I took in a sharp intake of breath before sighing. "Fine. I'm just a little lonely. Patch hadn't contacted me since he left for the trials. I'm just worried they've chained him to hell without me knowing."

"Okay," she said slowly. I glanced up at her and saw she was thinking. "Well, Patch had been chained to hell before, right?"

The memory of the night Marcie burned all the fallen angel feathers under Dante's brainwashing shuddered through me. I bit back the stung of tears behind my eyes. I nodded to answer Vee's question, not trusting my voice.

"Do you remember what it felt like when you knew Patch was gone?"

I nodded again.

"Do you feel that right now?"

I wasn't sure where Vee was going with this. I did a quick inventory of my feelings. Loneliness, worry, and despair were there but that was definitely due to Patch's absence. But I didn't feel any pain. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you trying to say?"

It was her turn to shrug. "Well…I believe that if two people love each other enough, their instincts would kick in, alerting them if there's something wrong. If you feel the same pain you did when he was chained to hell away from you, then maybe, something's wrong. But if you just feel worried, then I think it's safe to say your psychotic fallen angel boyfriend is still among us."

"Since when did you become a guru in relationships?" I asked her, letting myself grin.

She grinned back. "Hey, Scott had taught me more than a thing or two."

I let my jaw drop exaggeratedly. "Oh my, Vee. Was he a good teacher?"

Catching on, she lowered her eyelids and looked through her eyelashes, a sly smile sliding on her lips. "Oh he was."

I pulled on a disgusted face and chuckled. Trust Vee to make me feel a whole lot better. "No details, please."

"Okay. Anyways, since you need to loosen up a bit, why don't we go to the Devil's Handbag tonight?"

I almost groaned audibly. Not this again. "Seriously, you still haven't dropped that?"

"I'm not going to stop asking you until you say yes."

"Why do you want to go, anyways?"

"Why don't you want to go?" she asked me accusingly. "We always go there ever since summer."

I bit my lip. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Well…" I tried to quickly come up with an excuse. "My mom wants me to check on her every hour. I don't want to leave the house just in case she calls."

"You know what, babe, that is some major bull crap. I know you haven't been staying here. I visited you twice this week and both times you were out."

"I was at the library," I reasoned.

"I know you like the library but you don't go there that much anymore. Besides, the last time I checked, the library closes at eight. I went to your house at eleven. So give me some slack and cut the B.S. Look, you don't have to tell me where you go to every night if you don't want to. But you don't have to make excuses. Just tell me why you don't want to go to the Devil's Handbag with me."

"I just don't think it will be healthy for you," I said finally, my voice defeated.

"What do you mean, 'not healthy' for me?"

"Look Vee, I don't want you to unnecessarily hurt yourself. I know why you're doing this. I know you want to go to the place where Scott was always present. But you won't find him there. You won't find anything there but pain. Reliving memories won't make it feel any better either. Just drop the Devil's Handbag and let's try moving on with our lives. I'm sure that's what he would want."

She threw her head and laughed but it wasn't with humor. But that didn't stop me from feeling offended and irritated.

"Why are you laughing?" I demanded.

"Well you don't see it in my perspective," she answered. "You're right. I do want to go there because that's where Scott had always been. If I think of the Devil's Handbag, I think of Scott but my desire of going there isn't to inflict pain on myself. I am not masochistic. But being there does bring me comfort. It reminds me that Scott was real and that he became a part of my life. I don't want to forget that. I don't want to just forget about him to move on, like you're suggesting. I want to keep on remembering him, every single detail of him. That's why I've been going to the Devil's Handbag for two months now. At first it was hard but it's where I feel him and I'm not going to let that go. I thought it was a nice idea to share to you but obviously feel negatively about it." She stared at me for a second before she got up and walked towards her car. She left me there, sitting on the ground, a bit dazed.

Who was she and what had she done to Vee?

I woke up, Sunday morning and found I had no missed calls or text messages from anyone. I guess Vee was still upset with me enough to cancel our training session today. Fine, if she wanted to be that way, it's more than all right with me. What infuriated me the most was she thought I was purposely forgetting Scott. Just because I didn't want to go through another crying fest doesn't mean I want to forget about the person who saved my life. Fine, I would prove to her that I had no plans in forgetting Scott any time soon.

I dialed my mom's number for my morning check in. A few nights ago, I did my routine call and updated her with an edited version of what has been going on with me. I told her Patch was still gone and I was a little busy with schoolwork that I hadn't bothered hanging out with Vee much. The explanation was sufficient and she hadn't suspected anything.

By the fourth ring, her voicemail had picked up. It started to feel like last year when she decided to work for Hugo and travel around the country. "Hey, good morning, just checking in. I decided to visit Mrs. Parnell today. I mean, after Scott's death I haven't tried to find out how she's been coping. I'll probably be back around lunch so you can call me then if you want. I love you."

I hung up and swung out of bed. I showered, blow dried my hair, and pulled on a turquoise long sleeves with a pair of skinny jeans. I tied my hair up into a high ponytail, grabbing a few strands and curling it to frame my face. Winter was already full blown. Temperatures were easily on the twenties. I pulled on a pink scarf, a beanie I had bought a few weeks ago, and a thick black coat before tugging in my boots.

A few minutes later, I entered Scott's apartment complex, sliding into a parking spot near his building. I climbed up the three stories of stairs and knocked on his door. Mrs. Parnell opened it, looking a lot disheveled than the last time I saw her. Her eyes looked a little lost and confused for a second before she smiled mechanically.

"Nora! What a pleasant surprise!" she said, her voice was stuffy and though she tried to sound pleasant, I could only feel her grief. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing," I answered, hesitantly. "I'm sorry, I should have brought something."

She waved it off and stepped aside to let me in. "It's fine. Come in, come in."

I had been to Scott's apartment a few times when he was still alive. Though it was small, Mrs. Parnell saw to it that it was decent and clean. But now as I stood there, it was obvious that she had let go not only her looks. There were empty cans of sodas littered on the floor and on the coffee table. Boxes of Chinese takeout lined the kitchen table and dirty clothes were either lying limply on the couch or hung at the back of chairs.

"I'm sorry for the mess dear. I just haven't been feeling so well lately." Once again, she tried to be cheerful. It was painful to hear her efforts, not because she was failing miserably but it's because of the fact she was still feeling completely miserable. "You can sit there and I can whip up something for you. Mind you, I only have Chinese food. Would that be fine?"

"No, actually, I'm not really hungry Mrs. Parnell," I answered, placing a hand on my stomach. Even if I was hungry, I wouldn't have the appetite to eat. I chose to remain standing as well. But I did approach the couch and I realized the dirty clothes were Scott's. My stomach churned. I should've known it was a bad idea coming here. Her sadness and my own depression was a toxic mix. It's not good for either of us.

"Oh, all right," her face fell. For a second, she stood in the kitchen with no purpose. Then she sighed and mustered her strength to go back to the living room and sit on the loveseat.

"So how have you been, dear?"

I pressed my hands together, still standing. "I've been doing well. Just a little busy with schoolwork." I glanced around the room. Extreme pity couldn't even describe how I felt. "Uhmmm, I hope you don't see this as rude, Mrs. Parnell, but if you need any help you can just tell me and I'll find a way to help you."

She stared at me for a second before bursting to tears. She grabbed me and pulled me in close to her, sobbing in my shoulder. "Oh Nora, Nora," she sobbed. "I am so glad Blythe had decided to restart our friendship. I have never met someone as sweet as you. Scott was really lucky to have you as his closest friend. Oh, I miss him so much. There's not a day that doesn't go by that I don't think of him. What those men did to him was sadistic and I am glad the police had served justice. Oh Nora."

After the battle, the archangels had come down to explain, and when I say explain I meant brainwash, the families of the Nephils who had died in battle. Some of them didn't need the explanation since they knew about their family member's true identity but there were still others like Mrs. Parnell who knew nothing. I didn't like the idea of them lying to Mrs. Parnell so I pleaded that they at least tell her something a bit closer to the real story. They told her Scott's death was a random mugging and that even though he tried to fight, he was outnumbered. They had a long knife and had plunged it deep in his heart.

Hearing her tears made my own heart ache. I tried to push away but I really didn't have the strength to pry myself away from a woman barely keeping herself from crumbling. I patted her back awkwardly, trying not to cry myself.

"Mrs. Parnell," I spoke with all the sincerity and the strength I could muster. "I swear I'll never forget Scott."

She nodded, her face watery and puffed. "Thank you, Nora."

I couldn't stand being there any longer so I exited the house as soon as I could. The opportunity had presented itself when my cell phone began to ring. I told her it was my mom and she expected me to have my homework finished but I hadn't so I should be heading out.

I answered my phone on the third ring, just as I had began descending down the stairs. "Hey mom."

"How is Lynn?" she asked.

"I've seen her in better days," I sighed. "Mom, I was thinking, maybe I have a way of helping her out."

"What do you mean, Nora?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Maybe you can call up Dorothea and ask her to just look after her. I really don't think she'll survive like this."

She was silent for a few seconds but when she spoke, her voice was thoughtful. "I think you're right, Nora. I'll see what Dorothea can do."

I was on the last step and had just turned towards the parking lot when my eye landed on the person waiting beside my car. "Hey mom, can I call you back? I'm about to drive."

"Yeah sure, call me later before you go to bed, okay?"

"Sure. Bye mom." I didn't wait for her answer. I clicked on my phone and hung up.

I approached the car wearily, my eyes on Lisa Martin who was standing outside the driver's side. Seeing her without the robe she usually wore during the Nephilim meetings was a bit strange for me and made her feel more sinister. She was draped in jewelry, her platinum hair plied up on top of her head in an elegant bun. Underneath her elegant grey trench coat she had on a purple blouse and black dress pants. When she saw me, she smiled but it wasn't friendly. I immediately placed my defenses up, not knowing what this Nephil might do to me.

"Hello, Nora," she greeted me in a croaky voice. Her eyes flicked up towards Scott's apartment. "I see you're doing routine checks on the families of dead Nephils."

I didn't like her tone nor whatever it was she was implying. I especially didn't like how she said "dead Nephils". I was almost sure it was a threat. I suddenly felt a fear for Mrs. Parnell's life. She was not in the state to defend herself. Lisa Martin could easily kill her and make it look like an accident.

"What do you want, Lisa?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. "I thought I told you not to come near me after I give you your freedom. That's how far my responsibility for you and Hank's secret society goes."

"But I think it would be your responsibility to know where your own soldiers and members of your society are," she retorted, her voice was just as unpleasant as mine.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think it would be a good image for you to have your father's family suddenly disappearing."

I scoffed, quickly identifying "my father's family" as the Millers. "They're in Italy. Now if you don't want anything else, I'd like to get into my car, please."

"You insolent child, I know they are in Italy! I want to know what happened to them and what is keeping Susanna or Marcie from contacting us."

I shrugged. "I lost my interest in keeping tabs on everybody after the war. Like I said, that's how far my responsibility in all of you goes."

"They are your family! She is the wife of your father and the mother of your stepsister!"

I growled. "Then they have no space in my life."

She grabbed me by the arm and slammed me back against the car, pinning me. The impact didn't hurt but I suppose it was meant to be threatening. "If you don't find Susanna and her daughter, I will personally see to it that something bad will happen to you."

"Are you threatening me, Lisa?" I hissed. My pulse had jumped up but I forced myself into a calm.

She replied meaningfully, "See it as a warning, oh great leader." She glared before walking away to her car and driving off.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I dialed Vee's number once I slid to a stop on the farmhouse's driveway. With Lisa's threat still ringing in my head, I knew I wasn't exactly safe. It was likely she had men following me. I went straight at my house because I had no intention of showing them where Patch lived. I kept Patch's feather in a safe at the townhouse. I wasn't going to let Lisa use it against me for any kind of leverage. But I honestly didn't want to be at the farmhouse right now either. Even though there's really nothing of value there, at least for Lisa's cause, having intruders inside my house really didn't sit well with me. Besides, with her threat hanging over me, being alone seem like the most foolish thing to be right now.

"Yeah, what's up?"

I inhaled sharply before speaking. "You're right. I don't think going to the Devil's Handbag is a bad idea."

She was silent for a few seconds, probably stunned she successfully talked me into doing something I had a strong objection to. But then, she shouldn't be surprised. How many bad ideas have we done just because she talked me into them? "Can you tell me what changed your mind?"

I had practiced what I was going to say to her during my drive here so the lie flowed smoothly out. "I went to Scott's apartment and I realized I wasn't ready to let him go yet. The thing is, I have been avoiding acknowledging he is gone. I was in denial for a long time. I was just not sure how to deal with it. But ignoring how I felt didn't make things any better. I still feel sad. I still feel hurt. Maybe you're right. Maybe the Devil's Handbag might give me some comfort."

"Okay," she said slowly. I knew my lies were being judged for sincerity. I hope the verdict was on my favor. "Fine. I'll pick you up in fifteen."

I stopped myself from sighing. "All right. I'll be ready."

Within the hour, Vee had parked her Neon a few blocks away from the Devil's Handbag. From here, we could already hear the music blaring through the silent streets. It was eerily foggy tonight as if some of the lost souls trapped in my front yard had suddenly found a way to escape and followed me here. We walked in the chilly night and I was grateful for the warmth of Patch's leather jacket.

By the time we got to the entrance, it was almost midnight and the place was already packed. It was a Saturday night so the place was serving booze. I clutched on my fake I.D. while we waited, feeling a flutter in my stomach as I normally did when I know I was doing something wrong. I had to move around a lot so I wouldn't freeze, hopping from one foot to the other. But I knew it wasn't the cold or my nerves that were making me extra fidgety tonight. I had a strong feeling something was going to happen. I wasn't naïve enough to think Lisa wouldn't have some of her men follow me here.

"Would you stop fidgeting? You're making me nervous," Vee hissed beside me.

I glanced at her, biting my lip hesitantly. I haven't told her about Lisa's visit or my suspicions but I knew I have to tell her. A pair of extra eyes wouldn't hurt.

"Lisa Martin visited me today," I began in a hushed voice. This caught her attention. I told her my encounter with Hank's right hand commander and how she had threatened me to find Susanna and Marcie.

"How would you know if something happened to Susanna and Marcie? Didn't she know you're not in good terms with either of them?" Vee asked afterwards.

I tried to shrug but just ended up shivering. "I don't know. Maybe it's because out of all the Nephilim out there, I am the one with the bad blood between them. Besides, I'm the only closest relative they have here in Coldwater."

"Yeah but you've been here in Coldwater for the past few months. If you've chased after them seeking for some kind of vengeance, at least Patch would have noticed."

A new thought dawned on me and I felt my stomach drop on the concrete sidewalk. Patch. Did he have anything to do with this? Was the trial just an excuse for him to hunt Susanna and Marcie Miller down? But then what would be his reason? Marcie had burned Patch's feather the night before the battle. But I don't think that matters any longer. He had found a way out of hell. He found a way to come back to me. Even so, Marcie did chain him into the one place he worked so hard to avoid. Would I put it past Patch to seek revenge, even if he's not going anywhere now?

The questions bounced around my head it started to throb. I tried to convince myself that Patch has no reason to go after Marcie. Everything is done, no harm no foul, really. But if he did hurt her or Susanna, the Nephilim society would want his blood. The only reason they hadn't wanted it earlier is he didn't partake on the fight between the Nephil and the fallen angels. He didn't join the ranks in Dante's army, making sure he didn't drink a drop of devilcraft. But he is the only remaining enemy that remains here on earth. They are still weary and suspicious of him and that suspicion will only grow until Cheshvan next year. Patch could feel now and wouldn't need a Nephil vassal but they didn't know that. That kind of knowledge would evoke anyone who is still against him to use physical pain against him. So for now, all they know is that he is still a threat. Tying Patch to their disappearance would definitely cause chaos.

We had reached the entrance and showed our fake I.D.s. The guard looked at us briefly before letting us in. The music was so loud, it bounced around my head, making it completely impossible to think even if I wanted to. The temperature had suddenly risen up as well, a complete opposite from the chilling wind outside. The air was stuffy with body heat and sweat that I was certain I could almost touch it. Gyrating bodies was bumping in rhythm with David Guetta's "Titanium".

Vee grabbed my hand and dragged me all the way to the center before I could even protest. I was slammed multiple times against sweaty bodies and clutching on to Vee's wrist until my hand hurts was all I could do from screaming in disgust.

Vee had stopped right dead in the center and had began moving her body to the beat. She was completely lost within five seconds. On the other hand, I stood there, looking around the place. It was another bad idea coming here, that was for sure. Everywhere I looked, something reminded me of Scott. I caught a glimpse of a bass guitar and other musical instruments and thought of Scott's gigs here with his band, the Serpentine. I also remembered the time where he had jumped off the stage to avoid getting caught by Hank's men. I glanced over the bar and the memory of Scott accompanying me downstairs to a secret gambling area to fetch Pepper, a crooked archangel, and interrogate him hit me.

Those memories were enough to sting my eyes. I forced the clump in my throat down but it was getting harder to breathe. I shouldn't be thinking. Scott's memories and Patch's absence were getting to me. I turned my attention to Vee again. She was fully immersed in the music. I wanted that escape so I let it carry me. I know I'm not much of a dancer but at least this took me away from dead close friends and missing boyfriends.

I copied her moves, which was getting more and more provocative. She already had garnered a few guys to surround her that it was almost impossible for me to move closer. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I fished it out. It was my mom calling the home phone. Knowing if I didn't pick up, my voice mail would answer and she would know I connected the home phone to my cell phone, I squeezed myself out of the crowd. I headed out in the back exit, the sudden drop in temperature surprising me skin.

"Hey," I answered, a bit breathless.

"Hey baby, are you sleeping?"

"I'm about to," I lied, feeling a bit guilty. "I was just getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. Sorry I couldn't pick it up a bit earlier. I was in the bathroom."

"Oh, that's fine. I just wanted to tell you I talked to Dorothea earlier and she said she can look after Lynn for a few months. Of course, we'd have to pay her."

"That's good," I replied out of relief. At least Mrs. Parnell wouldn't be alone if she ever had any suicidal moments. At least if the Lisa gets to her to get to me, she wouldn't be alone. Maybe that would convince the council to punish Lisa and hopefully that would give me some form of peace. Two innocent human deaths are not much but it might be enough to at least get the archangels to keep an eye on them. Hopefully, that would turn the rest of the race against Lisa.

"You're a good friend. It was nice of you to stop by her place to see how she's doing. I really appreciate you looking after Scott's mom like that. She doesn't have much friends and we're really the only ones there for her. I'm sure Scott would appreciate what you're doing wherever he is."

"It's the least I can do," I said sorrowfully. "He was a good friend to me too."

"Anyways, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something else."

"Oh yeah?" I asked her half-distracted. The thought of Lynn not being alone anymore had at least given me some comfort. The Nephilim would have to hurt Dorothea as well to get to Lynn but that would raise a lot more questions.

"I kind of asked Dorothea to look after you as well."

"Mom," I protested. "She doesn't need to. I'm fine. Dorothea needs to focus on Mrs. Parnell."

"Well, just let her check in on you every now and then."

I hesitated for a second, hoping if I asked her, she wouldn't be suspicious of me. "When?"

But like a mother she was, she didn't miss what my question implied. "She should be able to drop in on you any moment of any day whenever she feels like it," she said in a hardened and suspicious voice. "Why shouldn't she?"

I pretended to heave out a frustrated sigh. "Because Vee would sometimes suddenly make plans and I would just go along with them. I would have to make it up to her now that I haven't been hanging out with her lately. So I would probably be out most of the time."

"What about at night?"

"I'd either be asleep or sleeping at her place."

"And Patch?"

"I haven't heard from him, not a single word." I tried to say the words light and carefree but it sounded bitter and hurt. I tried again. "He hasn't contacted me for a month."

"Oh baby-"

I cut her off before she starts saying anything against Patch. I really didn't want to hear it. "Yeah so maybe you can tell Dorothea she could just focus on Mrs. Parnell whose desire to live is as much as a rock's nowadays. I don't need a babysitter. Training for college, remember?"

I heard her sigh in defeat on the other line. "Fine. But I still want you to contact me hourly. And if you need any help, call Dorothea."

"Not a problem," I said hollowly. "Mom, I'm tired. I really need to go sleep."

"Oh, yeah sure. Go ahead baby. Good night. I love you."

"Love you too."

I hung up, letting the cool air enter my lungs and force my heart to a calm. Now that I was outside, the street seemed unnervingly quite. The blasting sounds of the music inside seemed so far away. I had nothing but my thoughts to haunt me. It had been a month ago since I have last seen Patch. I had no reason to think he lied to me when he said the archangels was holding a trial against him. I was past my suspicions of him. I still believed he had nothing to do with Marcie and Susanna's sudden disappearance. He didn't have a reason to. He wouldn't.

"Well what do we have here?" a voice had spoken from behind, dragging me from my thoughts. I froze, my stomach sinking. I slowly turned around and saw a man a few years older than I was leaning against the wall of the Devil's Handbag. I turned back around, intending to flee but I found myself surrounded. Three others, probably members of his gang, had materialized themselves from the darkness. I turned towards the Devil Handbag's entrance but I was blocked.

The men all had short cropped hair and dark, reddish brown skin. Despite the weather, all of them wore a simple black shirt, a pair of low rise jeans, and boots. They all towered over me, the shortest was at least six foot one. Their eyes were gleaming with malice, searching for the fear in my face. I forced myself to look calm. Were they the men that Lisa Martin had sent to get information from me? I could have kicked myself for going in this dark alley alone and letting myself be cornered like this. I cast my net towards the Devil's Handbag, looking for Vee's familiar thoughts.

_"VEE!_" I screamed in mind-speak but the music was too loud and she was too lost in it to notice. I tried again but she still didn't respond.

The man, I assumed was their leader was saying something but I ignored him, still trying to get Vee's attention. I only noticed him when he was a hair breath away from my face. Immediately, I placed all my defenses up out of instinct. He touched my face and I immediately stepped back.

"Now that got your attention. I was asking for your name," he whispered, stepping close again. I tried to step back but the his crew had circled us. There was really no where for me to run.

"Melanie," I replied and I almost cursed myself for letting my voice sound panicked. "Melanie Stryder."

The man smiled but it was far from friendly. "Pretty name for such a pretty girl."

I glanced at the door again. Now that I had placed my shield up, there was no way I could communicate to Vee without having to put all of my defenses down. I just hope she notices my absence.

"If you don't mind," I told him, glaring at him straight in the eye with all the boldness I could muster. "I really would like to go inside."

I pushed him away from me, feeling the scorching heat coming from his skin through his shirt. But the man caught my wrists and pulled me in closer, his grin widening threateningly.

"How about we go somewhere private?" he asked in my ear. My skin crawled. I tried to push away but his grip was strong.

"I am asking you nicely to let go of me, please."

"And I am telling you, rather threateningly, no. I want to play with you."

I wasn't sure how to engage in a fight and I knew my skills weren't as good as Vee's or Patch's yet. The odds are against me since there are four of them and only one of me. But I needed to defend myself.

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you," I said before I leaned back as far as I could and smashed my forehead against his. The impact did its damage as he staggered back with a surprised face. But my vision was twirling as well.

I felt the movement on my right before the punch could make contact against my right jaw. I avoided it cleanly by stepping back before smashing my elbow against my attacker's stomach. I swerved right again and duck low to get a good angle so I could hit a jaw from down below. My fist made contact against a nose and my foot had kicked a leg down.

But numbers do count. Two pairs of hands grabbed my arms from behind in a lock-tight grip. I thrashed about, trying to get free but I was cornered. Their leader, whose nose I broke, got up and wiped the blood off his mouth. He smiled before smacking me right in the jaw. My head hadn't recovered from my head butt earlier and now my vision swam again, strange lights blinking all over my sight. I wondered about the brain damage but then, it would probably heal. Sure enough, only took a few seconds before my vision became clear again. I glared at the leader who had the same smirk in his face.

"You are a tough little cookie, aren't you? Not a lot of people can do that and not hurt themselves," he told me in a mocking tone.

"I thought we were playing?" I replied, making sure I sounded completely arrogant and provoking. "You can't even handle one little girl. You really had to bring in your whole gang. Can't you just fight me squarely like a normal person?"

That earned me another smack in the jaw and it was harder this time. Okay so maybe I am a little too provoking.

"You'll regret that," the man hissed.

I could hear the others guffawing beside me. "You really shouldn't have said that," said the one who was holding my right arm.

"Yeah, you really shouldn't have made him mad," said the other.

"Paul, that's enough," another voice had said. The others whipped around to see the speaker but I couldn't see him. He was standing on the edge of the alley covered in shadow. But I saw the flash of recognition in the my captors' eyes and I knew this newcomer must be one of them.

"Seth!" the leader, Paul, welcomed him loudly. "And here I was thinking you're not going to come."

"Didn't you hear me? That's enough. Let her go," the voice said and this time, the speaker had stepped into the light. He was tall but young, probably younger than all of my attackers. He wore the same black shirt and low rise jeans paired with the same boots. His skin was also a dark brown with the hint of red. With all the similarities, I knew he was also a member of their gang.

But there was something different in his black eyes. It held innocence and brightness none of the others had. His face wasn't as hardened either and I assumed he's probably a new recruit. This made me nervous for him more than for myself. I didn't care much for these thugs but I was afraid he didn't know the hierarchy of gangs and how they work. His gang members will definitely hold this against him.

The man called Paul stepped around me to meet the new comer. "No can do, squirt. You're not the leader here."

"You're getting angry," the boy named Seth told him seriously. "It's not going to be pretty when you get angry."

He shrugged. "She can handle it. You saw how she fought us. Trained real well. The others might even join in our little fun."

"Four against one, and a girl too?"

"Hey, I actually like those odds."

"Stop it, Paul," he warned again.

Paul smirked. He placed two firm hands against Seth's chest before pushing him hard. "What are you gonna do, squirt?"

I had hoped for this boy's sake, he was going to walk away. Instead, he returned Paul's gesture and shoved him back hard. He staggered back a bit, momentarily losing his balance. Seth took the chance and clipped Paul right in the nose. Paul staggered back further, his hand moving protectively at his nose. He looked down to see blood. I heard his growl before he launched himself against Seth, both colliding with the wall behind them.

"Do you think Paul will get angry enough?" one of my captors said. Their grip was still tight but their focus wasn't on me.

"Nah, he's been controlling it a lot better now," replied the other.

"Five bucks says you're wrong."

"Deal."

"Stop it, the two of you!" someone said in a warning voice just as Seth kicked out of Paul's grip on his neck. Two figures materialized from behind him and stepped into the light. I felt my heart stop.

One of the man looked like he was the oldest. He was probably in his early to mid twenties. He was the tallest and the authority he carried told me he was probably higher in their hierarchy than Paul. He had his arms crossed and the muscles popping out against his skin screamed threatening. But the man who spoke scared me more.

It was Dante.

No, he wasn't. He looked very similar to Dante it was scary but I could definitely see the differences. He was younger than Dante, probably my age. His features were more prominent as well. He had a deeper set of eyes and a straighter nose. His lips were thinner and his cheek bones were considerably higher. He could definitely pass as Dante's brother.

However, knowing he wasn't Dante did not ease my fears. I knew little of Dante. I did not know whether he has family or any relatives that would be looking to avenge his death. All I knew was that he betrayed his Nephilim race, controlled the fallen angels, and wanted to kill me. What if the guy standing in front of me is his younger brother that no one knew about? What if he wanted to finish me off? I searched in panic for any sign of devilcraft in him but I found none. Still, I was not going to assume he means me no harm. I diminished my defenses and casted my nets again towards Vee, making sure I shout her name as loud as I could this time.

His deep set eyes wandered to me. Something flickered across it so quickly I thought I imagined it. He looked away, concentrating on the two who was now standing straight. Dante's look-a-like studied them for a second, his face blank. Paul must have been older than him and Seth, who was incredibly tall, could probably go against him as well. But I noted they both had their heads bent down in remorse.

"You two had already made a bigger mess than necessary. She's not alone. Let her go," he told them authoritatively.

"What do you mean 'I'm not alone'?" I asked, the sudden anger giving me my voice. This meant he knew I was with Vee tonight. I thought of her, worried that this might not be all of his gang. What if they picked up Vee inside as well and harassed her? Dante's look-a-like turned to me. He assessed me again from head to toe but did not answer. I pressed on. "Have you been following me? What do you want from me?"

He was silent for a few seconds, staring at me blankly. But when he spoke, his face was hard and a scowl was etched on his face. "What makes you think we want something from you? Let her go." At this command, my captors released their grip on me and pushed me forward.

Without another word, he turned around and disappeared back into darkness. Paul and my other captors followed him, bumping into Seth as they passed him by. He stood there motionless until we were all alone. I turned around to flee, knowing he was a part of their plans and not wanting to find out if they will come back.

"Hang on," the boy named Seth called out before I could take another step. I froze and turned slowly, assessing if I could take him on alone. But the others were probably not far away enough. They will come back to help him out and I will definitely be in trouble. He was looking at me apprehensively, his arm slightly raised as if he meant to reach out to stop me. He approached me, his eyes searching me.

"Are you all right? Did they hurt you?"

"Stay away from me!" I tried to scream but my voice was horse.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he tried to explain, taking a step towards me. I stepped back, maintaining the distance between us. I quickly glanced around the street in search for any weapon or any way to escape. Besides him blocking the alleyway, the only exit was where Dante's look-a-like and his gang had disappeared to.

He opened his mouth to speak but the door opened again. Vee stumbled out, running towards me. She gave me a once over, worriedly.

"I am so sorry babe! I didn't hear you! Are you all right?" she asked, breathless and worried.

I remained silent, my eyes still focused on the boy in front of me. She followed my gaze and her body tensed in surprise but she quickly hid it. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she crouched a bit. "Who are you?"

"I," the boy began, his eyes meeting mine. "…am just about to leave. Take care of your friend there." He turned around and disappeared to the same alley his friends exited to.

After a few seconds, Vee turned around again. "Are you all right, Nora?"

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath. "I'm fine," I lied. "Let's just get out of here before they return."

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Vee asked as she parked the car in the farmhouse's driveway thirty minutes later.

"Yes," I said shortly, too shaken up to say anything.

"Look, I think it would be best if I stayed overnight. I'll just get something to change into and we can go to school tomorrow together," she suggested in a definite town. I would have told her to go home so I could lock myself inside Patch's townhouse. But after tonight's events, I knew being alone is the least wisest choice right now.

"Can I just come with you then we can return back here?" I asked, not really wanting to spend a few minutes by myself in a house that seemed a little too big right now.

She stared at me sympathetically before nodding. "Yeah, I think that would be a good idea."

Vee's parents were asleep when we got in. She said she snuck out but when we got inside her house, she wasn't trying to be inconspicuous to avoid detection. I suspected that some brainwashing was used. I waited by her bed as she rummaged through her stuff to get what she needs.

Twenty minutes later, we were climbing out of the car and walking into the house. I threw my mental net in to see if there was any possibility someone was hiding inside the house but I felt no other presence besides Vee. By the time we got into bed, it was almost one in the morning. Vee stood beside my bed for a few seconds before settling down the mattress on the floor.

"Nora?" she called out in the darkness just as my eyes were getting heavier. I was eager to let this day end. The more days passes, the sooner Patch would return to me. Like always, I hope it will be tomorrow.

"Yeah?" I replied absentmindedly as my thoughts return to Patch just to keep me going.

"I'm sorry about a while ago."

"For what?"

"For not being there when you needed me."

I sighed silently. I couldn't get angry at Vee, even when she was too cooped up trying to surround herself with Scott's memories. "It wasn't your fault, Vee."

I entered my AP U.S. History class the following day with just minutes to spare before the bell rang. I slid into my chair, thinking about the chapter I had read a few nights before. I thought hard as I tried to remember one of Franklin Roosevelt's platforms to get the economy out of the depression when I saw a dark figure walk in front of me towards the teacher's desk. I froze as I recognized the reddish-brown skin and the jet black hair.

It was Seth.

With a sinking feeling, I watched him apprehensively as he approached Mr. O'Connor's desk and give him a slip of pink paper. He looked at it for a second before nodding. He turned to his desk and started rummaging through his stuff.

"Take a seat, Mr. Clearwater," he said as he picked up his record sheet and started reciting the class roll. Seth looked around the room for a seat. When his eyes approached my seat, I glanced away, careful not to meet them. The seat beside me was empty and a second later, Seth was occupying it.

"Hi, I didn't get your name last night," he whispered conspiratorially as he hunched closer. I could smell a faint damp scent from him as if he had just gotten out of a forest. Though I didn't want to admit it, the rich, soil scent wasn't bad at all.

I cleared my throat to distract myself. "Not really in the sharing mood."

"Nora Grey?" Mr. O'Connor called out and I almost cursed out loud.

"Here," I replied in a slightly louder voice. I heard Seth's small huff of amusement and I could almost see him smiling.

"Cute name," he said in an amused tone.

I gave him a sarcastic smile. "Really don't care."

"Hostile," he commented.

"Good observation qualities. It'll take you far."

"You're not really making a good impression, you know."

I clenched my jaw to control my anger. I cannot believe how cocky this prick can be. "You really didn't set the bars that high on the impression scale either."

I felt his eyes on me. "Look about last night-" he began but I placed a hand up to silence him.

"I don't really care for your explanations. I just want you to get away from me."

For the rest of the class, I tried hard to ignored him. I fixed my eyes on the board or Mr. O'Connor and listened carefully as he explained World War II. I ignored Seth's attempts at conversation and his blatant stares as well. When the bell rang, I gathered my things, stuffed them on my bag, and was out of the room before he could say anything else.

At the end of the day, I waited for Vee at her car, watching the whole parking lot for her. I saw Seth approach me. Automatically, I looked for a way out. But before I found one, he was already a few feet away. I closed my eyes to pray that Vee would suddenly appear.

"Hey," he greeted me with a small smile. I opened my mouth to say something smart but he placed his hands up. "You gotta listen to me. I didn't want what happened last night to happen to you. Those guys shouldn't have cornered you like that. I told them not to."

"So you know them?" I asked, my anger rising. I waited impatiently for his answer. When he said nothing, my fears were confirmed. "So you followed me here to what, finish what they started last night?"

"No! I don't want that. If you would just let me explain!"

"Hey, what's going on?" Vee's voice floated from behind him. Seth turned around to see my tall, blonde, curvy friend, looking at him fully in the face. At least she looked more intimidating than I am because of her height. She was as tall as Seth. "Is he bothering you, Nora?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I think we could go now."

"All right," Vee replied, taking out her key from her pocket and pressing the key lock open. I opened my door but was extremely startled when a hand came out of nowhere and slammed it back shut.

"Will you just listen?!" Seth shouted angrily. His face was screwed in a grimace and his breathing was heavy.

I froze, my eyes widening. I could see his face changing. Was it possible his face was growing? He was shaking from head to foot and my instincts were screaming for me to get away.

_Seth!_ I heard someone call out. I whipped around out of reflex to see who was calling him but no one was even looking at us except Vee, who was surprised at his sudden violence as well. I looked at Seth and he seemed to have heard it too. Was someone mind-speaking with him?

_That's enough, Seth. Just go, _the voice spoke out again. I whipped around and saw Vee's eyes widen. She must have heard it too.

"I have to go," Seth said, suddenly turning around.

Vee and I watched Seth get on his car and drive off with stunned expressions. "Did Seth just completely act like a crazy person or is it just me?" Vee asked a moment later.

"I'm not concerned about that," I muttered back.

"Yeah, my Nephil senses are tingling too."

It wasn't just me who heard it. Vee heard it too. Someone was mind-spoke to Seth.

He and whoever it was that spoke are Nephilim.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"That just couldn't be coincidence, you know?" I told Vee as I paced around the room. She sat on my bed, watching my troubled steps. "After the night I get attacked, a Nephil member of that gang suddenly shows up in my class."

"I don't think it is," Vee agreed, biting her lower lip in thought. "But something doesn't add up. Why this quickly? Why aren't they hiding? Shouldn't they at least wait until you have your guard down before they attack? Or do they really think you're up against a wall on this one?"

I let out a frustrated sigh. It was bothering me too. "Seth and his gang must've been sent by Lisa. She had them follow me last night and attack me."

"To get Marcie and Susanna's whereabouts?" When I nodded, Vee's frown deepened. "She's getting them awfully involved if Seth is enrolled at school. Would she have them attack you in front of the whole student body?"

"Maybe that's why they're there," I said, trying to keep myself calm. "They want to confront me and it wouldn't look like they're attacking and they want to do it quickly too or they wouldn't be surrounding me like this. Someone might have seen Seth talking to me at class or in the parking lot. People wouldn't think anything of it. Or maybe Lisa thinks I wouldn't make a big scandal. If people found out about our world, I just know the archangels will be at my back quicker than I can say 'Cheshvan'. Either way, I'm their target."

"But if Lisa is commanding them, wouldn't they be more sophisticated and trained when it comes to their mental abilities?" she asked, biting her lip again. "I mean, we heard what they were saying and they didn't even know it."

"Young Nephils?" I suggested, unsure.

"I would believe that babe, if they weren't from your dad's super freaky secret society. You saw how well trained those half immortals are. There is no way Lisa would send several untrained pups to go after the Black Hand's daughter and heir, not that big of a mission. If that doesn't sway the vote, she also knows of Patch. She knows he's with you and there is no way in hell she can lay a hand on you without acquiring hell from him."

"But if they were sent by her, wouldn't she know Patch wasn't there with me that night? She might have an inkling that Patch isn't around right now and that this is the perfect time to attack me," I pointed out, pacing back and forth again.

Vee shrugged. "Well they do know you weren't alone, right? I mean, Patch could easily be there too, just in the shadows. Besides, they could not possibly know Patch isn't here. Lisa needs to factor in the fact that you guys have had a troublesome relationship in the past and it's actually a possibility you two are not always together. Even better, she could be holding her breath, waiting for Patch to avenge you.

"But we can milk the Patch squad a little bit further as long as Lisa, or whoever sent them, believes Patch is around to save your curly-haired hinny," she pointed out. Vee's lips suddenly lip to an evil grin that could only signify trouble.

"What is it?"

The sly grin was still on her face even when she spoke. Her words came out slowly to build drama. "Well, we need to find out if Lisa sent them or not."

"Yeah, and?"

"And…I think it's time to put our sleuthing into action. I mean, we've been practicing from Patch to Marcie, to Scott, and to Dante. We might as well finally put them in good use."

I grimaced. None of this would be defined as good. "Wow Vee, I didn't know all those were practice."

She ignored me. "I want to do this soon, of course. But we need to make sure we're not found out."

"Yeah because the last few times had gone disastrous. We were either found out or I was placed in a serious predicament."

"Exactly," she said, standing up. Her eyes shined brightly. "Our plans always end up disastrously but this time, it will be different. We're not just sleuthing, we're investigating. This kind of investigation requires time and patience."

"We don't have time," I told her in a frustrated voice. "And I don't really think I can muster up patience."

"Well you will if you want to find out what's going on," she replied impatiently.

"What do I have to do?"

"Get to know Seth," she returned. "Infiltrate from the inside. Know what they want from you and then counter it."

I scoffed and grimaced. "If I'm the one they want, they wouldn't tell me flat out what they're planning against me. Getting to know them from the inside might make me even more vulnerable."

"That's why you attract Seth."

"Attract Seth?" I repeated. "I'm not going to do that! I have a boyfriend and I'm actually quite loyal to him."

"It's called flirtation babe. Anyways, yeah sure, they're not going to tell you flat out what they're planning against you but you will catch them off guard if one of them actually is too attracted to you to do anything."

I squirmed. "I still don't know if this will be a good idea."

It was her turn to scoff. "What do you suppose we do then?"

I shrugged. "Fight them off?"

"With just the two of us?"

Okay, maybe it was a long shot. Seth and his gang maybe inexperienced Nephil but they do have the benefit of numbers. Besides, I'm also not that trained either. If it comes down to a fight, I might just be at a slight disadvantage individually. My only consolation is that devilcraft isn't involved. This means I'll probably go through a lot of pain but there's really no chance I was going to die.

"I was hoping Patch could help," I muttered. Besides the fact that this is probably my fight and I didn't want to involve him now that he can feel physical pain. Silence engulfed us as we both thought of another reason why Patch probably wouldn't be able to help us. I knew Vee was thinking of it too. I might as well voice it out.

"But no one knows when he'll come back," I cleared my throat, hoping the lump there wouldn't get any bigger. I couldn't even say the possibility that he will never return. "If we waited for Patch, it might be too late."

I sighed heavily, not knowing what else to do. "Fine, I'll do it!"

For the next few days, I anticipated and waited for Seth at our history class but he never came. I didn't suspect it was because of what happened the other day, I was purely certain of it. But when I began to doubt Seth's return and the soundness of Vee's plan and my agreement to it, Seth walks in a week after we heard the Nephil voice speaking to Seth.

I waited for a few minutes for him to strike a conversation but he remained silent, carefully avoiding my eyes. I bit my lip, deciding what to say to him before Mr. O'Connor starts his role. I inhaled silently and faced him fully.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," I told him. So I guess I am fully agreeing to Vee's plan. He slowly turned to me, his face filled with surprise and curiosity. I was sure he wasn't expecting me to talk to him at all, let alone sound friendly.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What's with the sudden friendliness?"

I shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant even though my heart was beating hard on my chest. "I figured since we're sitting beside each other now, we might as well be acquainted with each other."

He still looked suspicious so I added, "I mean, I'm not asking to be friends. I just don't like having any enemies at the school."

I waited for a few seconds, feeling like he was going to see right through my façade. But I almost let out a sigh of relief when he smiled. "I knew you couldn't resist me. You missed me the last few days, right?"

Out of relief, I automatically said, "Yes." Before realizing too late what I had said. He gave me another wide smile, showing all of his teeth, obviously pleased at my response. I guess that actually worked for Vee's plans. I might as well stick with it.

"So, are we friends?" I pressed on, pushing my hand out. He looked at it for a second before taking it.

"Friends."

At the end of the day, I was surprised to see Seth leaning against my locker, waiting for me. I greeted him with a curious smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to walk you to your car," he replied, returning the smile. "I just wanted to see the damage I did on your door."

I didn't tell him the moment after he left, I grasped the dented edge of the door and returned it to normal. There were no broken glass so lucky him. "You're not that strong you know," I commented as he stepped aside and I was able to return my books there. "You didn't even leave any impression. Try building up your muscles."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Sure, coach." When he had caught his breath, he stared at me with his dark eyes twinkling.

When his gaze began making me feel uncomfortable, I turned away from him as I shoved my English book inside my locker. "What?"

"I was wondering whether you'd wanted to grab a bite with me. I want to know the good restaurants here now that I'm staying," he grinned.

"Of course she would!" Vee's voice floated happily to us. I whipped around to see her walking towards us.

"Vee," I warned her. I turned back to Seth. I recognize the urgency of everything but this is moving way too fast. I was suspicious of Seth's intention and I'm not going to be alone with him when the night at the Devil's Handbag is still fresh on my mind. "I'm really sorry I can't. I have a lot of homework due and my mom wants me to call her right away."

I heard Vee scoff. "Your homework isn't due until next week and you will be home hours before your mom calls." She turned to Seth with a cheeky smile. "She'd love to hang out with you."

"Well come on, Nora. I guess you'd be available tonight."

"Yeah, she would," she pushed me slightly.

I let my eyes glare at her for a few seconds. "Look, Seth, I think it's best if we stay friends. I have a boyfriend already and I really don't want to lead you on or do anything that suggest we're more than friends. I'm really sorry."

He shrugged. "Oh, I figured you would have a boyfriend. I mean, you're really pretty and boys would have to be blind not to notice you. Tell your boyfriend that I'm up for the competition."

"What?"

He grinned again. "We can postpone the date later. I'll see you around Nora Grey." He turned and walked away, whistling happily.

I turned to Vee with full fury. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What? This is our opportunity! Don't you see? You can interrogate him without being obvious about it!" She threw her hands up innocently.

"I thought we were going to take our time? This looks like it's moving awfully too fast for my taste. And how do you suppose we would be able to interrogate him?"

"It's called getting to know each other. You know, you do it on dates," she waved her hand impatiently. "Come on. I know I said we should take our time with this one but we can't refuse an opportunity when it presents itself!"

I slammed my locker shut and turned towards the exit. "No. Absolutely not. I am not going to be alone on a date with him when he and his gang can corner me any second."

"Look, the later we delay everything, the faster their plans will be set into motion. The only reason why all of our enemies have blind-sided us is because we didn't recognize them as our enemies fast enough and we spent all of our time sneaking around to find out more about them. Why not just go right to the source quickly and terminate whatever they have planned for you before they could even think of putting it into motion?"

"What about Patch? I don't want Seth to think I'm actually giving him a chance when I'm satisfied where I am with Patch."

"But if Seth's here to hurt you, wouldn't you want to have a little fun with him by leading him on? As much as I'd like to think Seth is a threat, it is as clear as crystal that this boy is into you." she replied. "We're using Seth because we don't trust him and we could use his interest on you as an advantage. I know it's risky business but this is all we got so far. He's willing to be friendly with you. Grab that chance and use it against him. You're doing this for your protection and I'm seriously hoping your boyfriend will understand."

Even though Vee had explained it simply, I doubt it will be that easy. I know somewhere along the way, things will blow up in my face.

I was settled down on Patch's bed, doing my history homework when my phone rang. Quickly fishing it out of the depths of Patch's sheets, I checked who the caller was, expecting my mom to be on the other line. I frowned when an unknown number flashed on the screen. I hesitated for a moment, not knowing if I should take the call especially now I know I have unknown threats lurking from behind me.

A small flash of hope flickered across my mind as I thought the caller might be Patch. With reckless abandon, I answered, "Hello?"

"You sound nice even on the phone," the voice cheerfully greeted on the other line.

I frowned, not recognizing the voice and a tad bit disappointed it wasn't the voice I was looking forward to hear the most. "Who is this?"

"Seth Clearwater," he replied and I could almost imagine him smiling.

"Seth," I repeated the name in a dull tone.

I heard him scoff but when he spoke, his tone was still gentle. "Way to hide your disappointment, Nora."

"Seth, it's not like I don't want to talk to you…" I replied in an earnest voice but he cut me off.

"You don't have to make excuses. I mean, the boyfriend does weigh more to you than a guy you just met. Besides, my track record isn't spectacularly clean at all. You did meet me when you were cornered by some guys from my reservation. It's actually quite amazing you're talking to me now, especially when I do know them and I am a part of…what did you call it?"

"A gang?" I helped out, with a small chuckled on my own. "Well to your defense and to tell you why I'm talking to you, you did defend me. If you didn't interrupt them, then I would have been in trouble."

"Ah, so it's Seth coming to the rescue. I like that."

I smiled. I still don't trust him and I'm only getting friendly with him because I wanted to know why young Nephilim like himself and the rest of his gang were going after me. But I was surprised at how easy it was to actually talk to him. However, it wasn't enough to let my guard down. "Who says chivalry is dead, right?"

"Right," he agreed.

"So, how did you get my number?" I asked him, a moment later, realizing I never gave it to him.

"Vee," he answered shortly. Immediately, I jumped to the conclusion he had fished it out of her head. But my theory was shot down when he added, "She ran after me just as I was getting into my car. Apparently, I have your friend's vote of confidence so she wants me to, and I quote, 'Pursue the challenge of stealing you away from your boyfriend'. Is he really that bad?"

"No," I told him, rolling my eyes. "Vee lives for the drama. She doesn't necessarily dislike him. It's more of a trust issue but he proved himself well enough," I wondered if I said too much, then I just wished I said nothing at all. Choosing to avert the topic a little, I added, "Nothing stirs up drama like two guys fighting over a girl."

"What did he do to gain Vee's trust?" he asked and for the second time, I wanted to kick myself.

"Well, you know…We've been together for months now and he hasn't done anything that…compromises with my virtue," I said, deciding to be vague.

"Sounds like a trustworthy fellow." His amused tone had returned and I couldn't help feeling relieved that he hadn't been suspicious enough to ask any more questions. "So when will I meet this charming, oh-so-dreamy guy? I kind of want to support Vee's favor of the dramatic, so I want to know what it is I'm competing with."

I rolled my eyes again. "Well, he's very hard to compete with."

"Oh, don't tell me. Football player with washboard abs and the whole school going crazy type?"

How about hot, dark, damned, and dangerous? "No but pretty close."

"Well I might have a fighting chance. Saying those kinds of guys are not the smartest tool in the toolbox is a kind understatement."

"We'll see," I told him, eager to end the conversation before this turned into one of those testosterone fueled speeches. "You'll meet him soon enough. Anyways, I have to go. I'll see you at school all right?"

"Hey, that dinner offer is still out. If you ever change your mind, you can call me on this number. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye." I hung up. I wasn't sure if I should feel satisfied that Vee's plan is working beautifully or a bit wary that it's actually working this fast.

After school the following day, I found Seth leaning against my Volkswagen with his arms crossed. When he saw me, his boyish smile appeared on his lips. I lifted my eyebrow up curiously and he pushed away to greet me.

"You're not going to use this car," he said, approaching me, his arms spreading as if he's blocking me from my car.

"Why not?" I asked slowly.

"We're going out for dinner," he said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, I thought you were leaving the decision of going out to dinner with you up to me? What happened to that?" I asked a little annoyed he was being so brash.

He shrugged. "Well I figured your boyfriend is ahead of me by months so I have a lot of catching up to do. That and Vee is very persuasive."

"What about my car?" I protested, waving towards it. "There's no way in hell I would be leaving this here at school."

"Vee volunteered to bring it home," Vee said, walking towards us with a smile. "Anyways, can I talk to you for a second, Nora?"

"You can say it here," Seth said with a polite smile but his tone was suddenly suspicious.

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing," Vee told him smoothly, her flashy smile appearing. "If you want to know, I'm just going to give my Nora here a little pep talk."

"It's fine," I piped in, looking at Vee and Seth confused but I knew whatever Vee's plan was right now plays a role in the grand scheme of things. We left Seth still standing by the Volkswagen and I followed Vee near the entrance of the school where the rest of the student body is flowing out.

"This is your chance, Nora," she whipped around, fire in her eyes. "This is your chance to know everything you can get out of Seth."

"Through a date?" I asked her incredulously. "Do you honestly think he's going to spill out his guts and say, 'What are you having, Nora? I heard they have the best steak here. By the way, did you know my little super Nephilim posse is planning on kidnapping you in exchange for your half sister and her mother? Oh, would you like soda or water?'?"

"No," she grimaced. "But you can follow him afterwards. Don't you see? The dirtiest tricks are done behind closed doors. That's when we infiltrate. This whole date thing is just a distraction. You can pretend to be enjoying and having a great time so he will let his guard down. Once he brings you home, that's when you follow him again and you pin him!"

"Did it ever cross your mind that I might actually be abducted? What if once I get into his car, the rest of his gang shows up and actually use me to get Marcie and Susanna back?"

"Oh, crap! I didn't think of that!" her eyes widened with her mouth gaping. Yeah, there was the realization I was looking for. "We need to cancel it." But when she said it, she sounded like she was definitely regretting it.

So who am I to trump her little play as investigator for my own safety, right? I heaved out a sigh. "Fine, I'll do it. Only if you follow us from behind, do you understand? And please be conspicuous about it."

"No, Nora. I'm not going to let you risk your neck now that you pointed that out to me. I'll cancel it."

I stopped her with a hand. "I'll be fine. You and Patch taught me well. I'll just be putting up my defenses and if it comes to a fight, then I think I will be prepared."

I turned around and walked back towards the car, putting on an effort to brighten my face. I looked around for Seth but he was already standing a couple of feet away from my Volkswagen, leaning on a shiny black Camaro.

"Your ride?" I asked him, trying to remember if this was the car he had used yesterday or the day that I heard someone mind speaking to him. "I don't remember it being this nice."

"Oh, no you're right. I just got this for our special little date. I've been using a cheaper rental car for the past few days and I thought I wouldn't impress anyone with an old model of the Civic, will I?"

I pulled on an exaggerated grimace to hide my worry. Camaros are fast and, though it's obviously a head-turner, it's still new so no one would have had enough time to register it with Seth. If I disappear tonight, there would be a good chance no one, besides Vee, would know I was last with him.

He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door for me. With a smile, I ducked under his arm and settled inside. I quickly looked around the impressive interior to find anything that would help me know what he is but nothing was out of the ordinary. I was about to look for any weapon I could use just in case when he entered the vehicle and placed it in gear before driving away.

"So, where are you planning on taking me?" I asked him, noticing he was careful not to reveal anything personal about him. He hadn't even turned on the radio. Apparently even his choice of music is too big of a secret.

"I've heard a little Mexican restaurant a few blocks away from here called Borderline. I heard their tacos are pretty amazing. Heard of it?"

I bit my lip as my stomach sank to my spine. Of course he had to pick the place where my M.I.A. boyfriend used to work and where a particularly embarrassing moment in my life involving a blonde wig, a short skirt, and a pair of five-inch sharkskin stilettos happened. "Yeah, I've heard of it." Understatement of the year, right there.

"Are the food as good as they say?" he asked eagerly as he slowed down in front of a stoplight.

"Well, I think it was better a few months back. One of their better cooks had quit so the tacos are not as high quality," I told him distractedly as I slyly looked at the side mirror to check Vee. To her credit (or should have I been worried?), she wasn't found.

"That's too bad. I was banking on making everything perfect."

"Well, you have to be optimistic, right?" I retorted, smiling. He chuckled softly as he eased into a parking lot in front of the Borderline. An uneasy queasiness filled me as I took in the Borderline's details. Memories of the time I came here to investigate more about Patch filled me. It seemed such a long time ago. Guilt filled my stomach as Seth opened my door for me. I don't know where Patch is and where he could be at this moment but here I am, going out with someone else as if I didn't care about what happened to him.

As we stepped inside, the warm air and strong spices greeted us. I pushed away the guilty thoughts at the back of my mind. I would have to deal with that later on. I mean, it wasn't the first time I went out with a guy for the sake of information. I need to put it off for now and focus on getting what I need out of Seth.

We stopped in front of the hostess booth. She had strawberry blonde hair and the smallest face with the biggest blue eyes I've ever seen. She was chewing impatiently at her gum when she laid her eyes on Seth. Tall, handsome, deliciously tanned skin with the combination of innocent eyes and a baby face. Who wouldn't be attracted to him?

"Well, what can I do for you?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him, her smile widening at a painfully fast rate. I almost rolled my eyes. I shifted my weight a bit and that was when she noticed me. Her eyes turned cold and a bit annoyed. "So, table for two?"

"That would be perfect, please," Seth said pleasantly. The hostess popped her bubblegum, giving me a once-over while grabbing a couple of the menu. She turned and started making her way past the tables. Seth and I followed until she gave us a secluded table at the very back of the restaurant with the worst lighting. I was afraid Vee wouldn't be able to see us without making it completely obvious. But something wormed its way through my head. Why would the hostess, who was obviously annoyed I was Seth's date, give us such a secluded table with rather high levels of privacy? Unless there was some brainwashing involved.

"Our servers will be with you shortly," she said curtly as she rolled her eyes on me. I would have pointed out her rudeness but before I could say anything, she turned around, leaving me with Seth at this little booth.

"Well, here I was thinking you were going to start ripping her hair out with that look in your eyes." He tried to hide his smile by dodging behind the menu but it was plain as day.

"Yeah well she was ready to tear my face out too, if you haven't noticed," I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"No, I didn't. I was too busy watching your face," he retorted with a full-on smile now. This earned him another eye-roll. He returned his attention back to the menu, I suspect to avoid laughing flat out in my face. "So, expert, what is good here?"

We looked over the menu for a few minutes, forced into silence. I tried to think of ways to strike up a conversation to get some information but I didn't know exactly what to say without sounding completely suspicious. Our waiter came up to us, with a pen and a small slip of paper ready in his hand. But when I saw his round face and took in the bright blonde curls hidden in his low cap, I almost fell out of my seat. It was Pepper Friberg standing in front of us, with his wide eyes traveling between me and then to Seth and then back again. A sinking feeling settled down on me as he must have jumped into whatever conclusion this looks like.

"Well, well, well, Nora Grey," he said, his cherubim face lighting up despite the darkness. "Who is this strapping young lad?"

Seth was looking at me curiously. When I refused to say anything, Seth held out his hand. "Seth Clearwater. You know Nora?"

Pepper flashed me a cruel smile. "Know her? Yeah, we go way back. That was when Patch was still her boyfriend, which was a month ago? You got on the saddle pretty quickly, Nora. I mean, especially when Patch just heard the big news."

"Patch is back?" I could barely say it. I was feeling dizzy and I felt like there was a huge lump in my throat.

"Patch? Who's Patch?" I heard Seth ask the two of us. But his voice seemed so far away.

"Uh-uh," Pepper shook his head. "I didn't say he's back. I just said by now the…decision has been made concerning Patch. It is kind of too bad that even before his girlfriend knew anything about that decision, she's already playing hooky with another guy."

I was feeling extremely sick. This was a bad idea. I looked at Pepper desperately for more information about Patch's trial but his bright electric blue eyes were revealing nothing. I knew he was enjoying my pain. I stood up quickly, the warm air choking me. I hurried out of the door, slamming hard against it. But even the cool air didn't comfort me. I slapped a hand against my sweaty forehead, trying to force myself into calm. The door opened again and Seth was already stretching out his arms towards me.

"Are you okay?"

"I want to go home," I said, my voice was scary small. "Please, can I go home?"

He nodded, hurriedly rushing towards the car. "Come on."

I almost ran out of the door when he slowed to a stop in front of the farmhouse. I didn't even bid him good night as I ran up the steps and slammed the door behind me. I was shaking, my heart raced, and my eyes were welling up with tears. I blinked them away as I fished out my phone out of my pocket and dialed Vee's number.

"Babe, where in the world are you?" Her voice was breathless and panicky. "I've been combing the Borderline for you. Did you get anything on Seth?"

"I'm at home," I barely choked out. "Can you come here quickly, please? I need the car."

"I'm speeding to you as we speak. I'll be there in about ten minutes."

The moment I saw the light from the Volkswagen, I bolted out of the door and ran towards her, pumping my fist against the window. Why was Vee moving so slow? She got out, her hands lifted innocently.

"Hey, hey chill out! What's going on?! Where's Seth?" she asked me as I pushed her out of the way.

"I don't know. I sent him home," I replied, jamming the key in the ignition.

"Where are you going?"

"Patch is back." I grabbed the gear and backed out of the driveway as fast as I could. The Volkswagen groaned loudly but I ignored it. I flattened the gas, zooming through the road. Lucky there was no cop with nothing else to do but hand out tickets. The images flashing inside my head wasn't good either. I kept seeing Patch's mangled motorcycle with him nowhere in sight. I parked roughly in front of the penthouse and slipped out of the car. I pushed his door open and the darkness greeted me.

I felt the electric buzz in the air before I felt his warm, secure arms wrap around me, holding me tightly. Patch was there, he was back. I felt a string of air escape my lips and I didn't realize I've been holding it in the whole time. I buried my face in his chest and tried hard not to cry.

"You're here," I murmured in relief. I felt my eyes watering and my face was warming. "You're back. You're finally back."

"I told you I will always find a way back to you," he whispered soothingly.

"I'm not dreaming right?" I asked him, afraid that any minute I will wake up and Patch would still be gone.

He pulled away to look straight into my eyes. "I'm home," he said before pulling me closer to him. Our lips met and I knew everything in the world is right again.

I resurfaced first, breathless as usual. A smile was stamped in my face and my heart was beating erratically. "I know I promised you something before you left."

His eyebrow arched up but his face remained serious. He shook his head, "I don't want you to do something you feel like you're being forced to do."

Okay, it wasn't the reply I was expecting. I was looking forward to an innuendo or at least a sly smile, not some kind of sudden display of conscience. I pushed it away as I shook my head. "No, I want this. I want you."

The smile I was hoping for appeared as he lifted me. I hooked my legs around his waist and let lips roam the curve of my neck. I was shivering with pleasure as his hands roamed around my back and his kisses intensified. He walked steadily towards the bedroom, stopping only for a moment to slip off the white shirt he was wearing. I was in a frenzy by then. I roamed my fingertips all over his chest, deeply enjoying the electricity under my skin. He gently lowered me to the bed, brushing back a few strands of hair that strayed on my face. I lifted myself with my elbows and slowly unbuttoned my top. But his eyes never left my face. He cupped my cheek with the palm of his hand before lowering himself to a kiss. I knew he was pounds heavier than me, built with lean muscles but he felt as light as a whisper. As the night rolled on, I kept pushing him against me, wanting for more. I felt him inside me, closer than I have let anyone. Though it scared me a bit, I knew, I just knew, that this was exactly the right thing.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The following morning, my eyes fluttered open to meet Patch's velvet black ones, causing me to smile almost automatically. I was lying on my belly and I could smell the enticing mint and spices. I felt glorious all over. My heart felt like it was swelling three times its size, my skin felt like it was glowing, and my body felt warm inside. It was the best morning I've ever waken up to.

"So beautiful," he muttered softly, gently placing his forehead against mine.

"You don't look too shabby yourself," I grinned back. I rolled on my back, letting the silk sheets slip around me. "I could lie here forever."

"Like I said before, you fit in them perfectly. I actually prefer you staying there as long as you like."

I shrugged. "Or I could just steal them and get this over with."

He chuckled. "Not if I prevent it."

I cuddled closer to him, letting his arms wrap around me securely. "I'm glad you're home."

"Glad to be back."

I was starting to drift off once again when he spoke. "Nora, there's something I want to tell you."

"Hmm?" I asked half-heartedly, my eyes still closed. "What is it?"

He took my hand and gently slid it to his back. Catching up, I opened my eyes and looked curiously at him before I touched his scars. "Want to know what happened during the trials?"

This definitely got my attention. I nodded before finally touching his scars. I was sucked into his memories, hooked by the waist. A blur of colors spun out of control around me. Then abruptly, everything stopped. I found myself standing in the middle of a circular courtroom, at least it looked official enough to be a courtroom. There were marble floors, handsome oak tables, and even a small area for the jury.

I froze as a door behind me opened, suddenly aware that every inch of my body was exposed. I slowly turned around to see Patch and Detective Basso walking towards the front of the courtroom. I knew I was in a memory but I still didn't like the feeling of walking in front of other people, Detective Basso, naked.

But I did feel a little tingly when I laid my eyes on Patch. He wasn't wearing his typical black shirt and dark jeans. He looked extremely sharp in his black suit and deep purple sleek tie. His dark hair was combed back.

"Remember what we talked about," Detective Basso whispered towards Patch. Patch kept his eyes locked in front, his expression was hard. It looked like he didn't hear him but he slowly nodded.

Another door opened and this time several people lined in. I watched them carefully. Each was breathtakingly beautiful, all with innocent faces. They were all wearing white robes that reached their ankles. I noticed when they moved, a flicker of glowing white-blue material flashed from their backs. They were angels. They all settled down the chairs in the jury corner, all looking at Patch and Detective Basso expectantly. A pair of them broke off the group and settled down on the table directly beside Patch's and Detective Basso. They were the prosecution.

A couple of angels wearing deep blue robes stood in front. They looked extremely identical, both with cherubim faces and light brown curly hair. They both had blue eyes and curved mouths.

"The high judge Delilah will preside today's trials. All rise!" they announced in unison in a surprisingly deep voice. As everyone straightened up, the door at the left of the judge's table opened again and this time an angel with long sweeping black hair entered. She wore the same white robes as the jury but two long, royal red lines ran from the base of her neck to the bottom of the robes. The judge faced us and recognition hit me. She was the angel Hank captured to get an archangel's necklace. Her purple eyes held Patch's gaze.

Once she was settled in, the rest of the courtroom sat back down. She ruffled some papers in her hands but she never broke her eye contact with Patch. "Very well," she began. "Case number 5923429, Jev versus the Legion of Angels. May the defendant please rise." Patch and Detective Basso stood up in unison. If this wasn't such a serious case, I would have pointed out that Basso and Patch looked extremely alike. "Jev, the Legion of Angels accuses you of several crimes including, but not limited to, arson, theft, libel, illegal incarceration of an angel, manipulation, blackmail, murder, seditious acts, treason, and violation of your duties as an Archangel and as a Guardian Angel. How do you plead?"

All eyes, including mine, turned to him. He looked calm and collected as he stared straightly. "Guilty, your honor."

A murmur echoed throughout the room. This wasn't the answer everyone was expecting. I felt my insides fell to the bottom of the floor. What was he doing? What was he thinking? Why would he do such a thing? Then a sudden panic grip over me. Was he going to be sent to hell soon? Was that why he was back, so he could spend what little time we have together?

"Ah, you do know how to make a girl's job more difficult," Delilah commented, a hint of smile on her face. "Very well. This court hereby proclaims you guilty of all charges. We will move on to punishments then."

Detective Basso stood up quickly, facing the judge. "Your honor, I would like to propose a solution."

Her eyes shifted from Patch to Basso. "I don't think you are in the place to do so."

"That may be but since my client had pled guilty, I feel like the punishment should be suggested-"

"-by the presiding judge. This is still an official hearing Basso," Delilah cut him off. "Now, by law, any angel who pleads guilty in front of the Legion and his peers will not be sent to hell."

My eyes widened as relief swept over me. It suddenly all made sense. If Patch pled "not guilty" a trial would probably have commenced and he might be found guilty and thrown in hell. If he was found guilty, then he would have been gone from me forever. I couldn't help smiling. Trust Patch to find a way back to me.

"However, it does state that the Legion will have to assign the guilty party a mission to solve a crisis the Legion is facing right now. The guilty party will have two choices: take this mission or go for the easy way out and be sent to hell."

"My client will take the mission, your honor," Basso replied, his face blank but his hands were tangling and untangling in record speed. On the other hand, Patch looked merely bored with his hands casually in his pockets and his eyes never leaving the judge.

"Very well, this court is adjourned. You will be informed of the details of your punishment within this month," she said with finality as she struck a small hammer against her table. As if on cue, the jury of angels stood up and started filing back through the door they entered.

Patch and Basso remained seated however, discussing in low whispers what was going to happen now but I was jerked back towards the present. I suddenly felt the sheets around me. Patch was lying still beside me, watching my face with apprehension and awe.

"What did you see Angel?" he murmured softly.

"You pled guilty," I replied him blankly.

"You must understand why I did it," he answered, uncomfortably.

It took me a few seconds to answer but I eventually nodded. "I understand why though it scares me how easy you can take that risk, how easy you can say yes to hell."

He shook his head. "It wasn't easy. If Basso didn't guarantee me with his own one-way ticket to hell, I wouldn't have agreed to it. I would have fought for you. But I found out that only a minority of the Legion of Angels, the jury you saw, believed I should be pardoned. A lot of them still thinks I should have been sent to hell because my crimes were just too…heinous and too many to say."

This made my insides crumble. "So it wasn't just a chance. There was a high probability you'd be sent to hell if you defended your case."

He nodded. "On the other hand, if I didn't attend, I would have been hunted down by the Avenging Angels and you would have been placed in danger as well. I couldn't have that. They were pinning me down. Basso found a way to turn it around. Besides, I think it's time to finally step up to my crimes. Though I am hoping Delilah would lay it easy on me."

"Do you know what kind of punishment you'll have?" I asked, searching his eyes.

He shook his head. "Apparently I'm doing everything first. I was the first one to prove the Book of Enoch was true, I was the first fallen to get my wings back, I was the first angel to have his wings ripped by the Nephilim, I was the first fallen to negotiate with Archangels to kill a Nephil, I'm the first fallen to walk out of hell without their help, and I was the first fallen angel to plead guilty and avoid hell all in all."

"Wow, that is a lot of first," I commented with a smile, noticing the uneasiness in his face.

He shook his head again. "And that's the reason why I have a painted target on my back. But Basso did warn me that these punishments were probably not going to be easy at all. They are going to find a punishment that will equal an eternity in hell."

"Can't you think of anything?" I asked, wondering myself. He was silent for a few seconds when something suddenly seem to dawn on him. I noticed his hold on me tightened.

"You."

"What?"

"They're going to take you."

I frowned. "What do you mean 'take me'?"

He suddenly jumped out of the bed, grabbed his clothes littered on the bed, and tugged them on. "The only punishment equivalent to hell for me is not having you."

I shook my head, trying to ignore the fear starting to rumble inside me. "They're not going to take me. They can't. I'm the one who defeated Dante. I think we deserve some break, don't you?"

"You don't know what they're capable of. You'll need to go. I need you to stay somewhere they won't think to find you. At least that will delay them a little bit. I will come and find you after I talk to Basso. Don't go to Vee. It's better if she doesn't get involved into this, though I'm afraid she will be, eventually."

"What?"

"They will go to her first but if Vee is with her family, I doubt they will harm her, even if she is Nephil. But they will be expecting your presence. I would tell you to go to Delphic but since there's only one fallen beside me now, that's the least safest place to be. The Archangels could walk in without seeing any resistance." He handed me my clothes before cupping my face gently. "I promise you nothing will happen to you or to Vee or to anyone you care for. I won't let them hurt you to get to me."

I swallowed, the lump on my throat returning. "What about you? Where are you going? How are you going to contact Basso?"

He smiled. "Pepper is going to help me with everything. He is fallen now. He had his trial after mine and he was found guilty on all his charges. Basso asked the court if, as punishment, they can assign Pepper to me."

I frowned. The last time we asked Pepper to do something for us, Patch had ended up in the fiery pits of hell. Trusting him was a mistake and that probably still holds true today. Besides, we probably were the reason why he can't return to heaven any longer. We asked him to steal the feathers, a one way ticket to being fallen. I have a feeling he'll be stabbing us in the back pretty soon. "I don't like it. I don't trust him."

He nodded. "Yeah, I don't either, especially not with you. But he's the best we have for now. Just go. Go to one of your classmates' houses. Maybe you can stay with one of the Nephlim members of your dad's society."

Yeah that would be likely. "Okay. Be safe."

He pecked me on the lips. "You too, Angel."

I was driving towards the familiar route to the library. The sun was slowly rising, sending orange streaks in the purple sky. I didn't know who I can go to that the Archangels wouldn't think of looking so I decided the library would be a safe haven until Patch calls. Though of course, I highly doubt the library would be able to give me any real protection. I slowed to a stop in front of the library's underground parking lot. Yeah, because dark corners was the most advisable place to go to when you're trying not to get abducted. I sighed, briefly looking at my rearview mirror to make sure no one was behind me. When I was clear, I drove back to the street.

I parked in front of Enzo's, silently thanking the owner in my mind for opening at six in the morning. I pulled open the door and the barista behind the corner looked up in surprise. Okay, I guess no one in their right mind would come in this early, even if they are a loyal customer. I settled down in one of the corner tables where I can spy the door.

I took my eyes briefly away from the door to check out what I wanted for breakfast when the bell signaled another customer coming in. I shifted my gaze towards the new customer and saw Seth walking confidently towards me. He was wearing a gray hoodie and black sweatpants paired with gray sneakers.

"Grey, what are you doing here so early in the morning?" he greeted as he settled in the chair directly mine. He folded his hands together and placed it gently on the table, barely an inch away from mine. I drew back and looked at the menu again, feigning interest.

"I usually eat breakfast here," I answered, pointing at the menu written on chalkboard behind the counter.

"This early? On a Saturday?"

I managed to squeeze out a gritted smile and a shrug. "I am an early bird, what can I say? What about you? Working out so early. Olympics are three years away. No need to be training so early."

It was his turn to shrug. "Well, you can never be too prepared right?" He flashed me a million dollar smile. "And I always prepare for anything that might challenge me. Go for the gold, right?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing he had some kind of hidden message in there somewhere but I didn't really want to decipher it. "You come at Enzo's at freakishly early hours all the time?"

He shook his head. "No. Do you?"

"Yes," I lied, smiling again.

He saw right through it. "Then why haven't you ordered? Are you waiting for someone? Meeting someone here, perhaps? The boyfriend, maybe?"

"No. Just wanted to weigh my breakfast options really well today. You never know something life-changing might happen today, right? It is better to be prepared with a good healthy breakfast. How about you? If you don't go at Enzo's this early, why are you here? Are you following me?"

He leaned back in his chair and gave me a wink. "As a matter of fact, I did. I know of a girl who completely ditched me last night because she got wind that her oh-so-precious and oh-so-mysterious boyfriend is back. So how did it go?"

Better than I'm willing to share with you. I poked my lower lip out in a noncommittal gesture. "It's all right."

"So he's back?"

I nodded.

"When will I meet this Mr…?"

"Patch."

"Weird name though I must say I have heard weirder. Anyways, when will I meet Mr. Patch?"

I made a face. "One, that's not too weird. Two, he's busy at this current moment so I highly doubt you'll be shaking hands anytime soon."

"Okay, I know when someone doesn't want to face fierce competition," he smirked.

I perched my elbow on the table and entwined my fingers together before resting my head on top. "You are cocky, aren't you?"

"Let's just say I'm doing my best to impress the girl I set my eyes upon," he replied, grinning. "Speaking of which, since you bailed on me the last time, I believe you owe me another date."

I sighed audibly. "Fine. But I drive." I stood up and started for the door, trying to look as casual as I could. Why didn't I think of this before? Not a lot of people knew Seth so I highly doubt the Archangels would find me that quickly. Vee and I are investigating him so I can interrogate him while avoiding the Archangels. It's like hitting two birds with one stone. Good thing I brought the Fiat. If he was planning on kidnapping me, at least I have a chance to get away.

"Right now? Don't guys usually set up dates?"

I shrugged as I headed for the door. "Well you're new so I doubt you know all the good spots here."

I had my hand on my car's door when he pushed his body against it. "Do you mind if we head towards my house first? I'm all sweaty and disgusting."

I bit my lip. Okay, maybe I was doing sleuthing for Vee and keeping safe from the Archangels for Patch but going to his house was not a good idea. I was thinking of going somewhere public with him so neither he nor the Archangels can swoop down and kidnap me. But going to his house was stupid and dangerous. I would be avoiding the Archangels but it was almost guaranteed that Seth's gang would be waiting for me at his house.

"I'm sorry. I really don't go to guys' houses," I told him, when he sensed my hesitation.

He shrugged again and smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "That's fine. I could jog back there anyways but it's a couple of miles' trip away from here and I'm not really willing to run in the cold again."

I sighed. I knew it was better to follow my judgment but then I was risking having him be suspicious. "Fine, get in. I'm driving."

We were silent throughout the drive except when he gives me directions. I turned towards one of the main roads, relieved he didn't live too far from civilization.

"Just tell me where to turn," I reminded him as we passed by a neighborhood lined with particularly nice houses.

"You've got about two more miles," he told me, looking straight ahead.

Two miles? My stomach sank. The nice neighborhood was about to end and the next house will be at least several miles apart. So much for getting help from his neighbors. I need to find a way to ditch him but get information first. Well, if I'm doing my sleuthing, might as well make it as convincing as I could. "So, I realized I never asked you where you were from."

"I'm from La Push, a Quileute reservation near Forks, Washington," he replied shortly, obvious he didn't want to reveal a lot.

"Oh, Washington? What made you move? Did your parents get a new job or something?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Actually my mom's still in Forks. She lives with her new husband now."

"So you don't like the husband?"

"Oh, no. I mean, Charlie's great and all."

I waited for him to say something else but when he remained silent, I asked, "But?"

"But what?"

"You said Charlie was great and all but…?"

"Oh, there's no buts. I like him for my mom. She deserves to be happy after losing my dad."

I glanced at him, surprised that he had that in common with me. He seemed sad and brooding at the mention of his father. "Yeah, I know how you feel," I told him, giving him a small smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I lost my father more than a year ago. He was…killed. My mom started dating another guy again but unlike your mother, she was a bit more unfortunate. The guy wasn't good for her at all."

"I'm sorry," he said and sounded like it too.

"It's fine. I mean, it's really getting better. So, back to you. What made you move here?"

"Business," he replied shortly, his tone suddenly turning icy.

I was hitting something and he knew it. "What kind of business?"

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Does it have anything to do with the guys that attacked me that night?" I tried to keep my tone cool and controlled but I was shaking. "You're friends with them, right? They were from your reservation, right? What did they want from me?"

"They didn't want anything from you. You were just something they were going to play with that night," he said, his voice uneven.

"You're lying," I said. Even if I didn't hear it in his voice, I could feel it emitting from his skin like heat. I suddenly swerved the car to the shoulder of the road. We were surrounded by trees once more, the line of houses far behind us. I took the keys of the ignition.

"We're not going anywhere until you tell me the truth about your gang and why they attacked me."

"I told you, you were just some victim they saw!" his voice boomed in my small car. "What makes you think there's something special about you that they want."

"And I told you I think that's a pile of crap!" I shouted back, my temper getting the better of me.

"Believe what you want to believe," he said, clicking out the seatbelt and letting it slide back into place. He opened the door and started heading out. "I'm out of here."

Not knowing what else to do, I reached out for his mind to mind-trick him. But what I found there was completely surprising. His mind was nothing like any other mind I have entered before, human, Nephilim, or fallen angel. It was wild, uncontrolled with animalistic instincts. Despite my surprise, I unraveled his defenses and he yielded. However, everything was still wild and unorganized.

"Come back in the car," I commanded, speaking both in his mind and out of my mouth. Obediently, he went back inside and closed the door, his face blank.

"You will tell me everything: what your gang wants from me and why."

He shook his head. "I can't."

I frowned. He was under my control. There was no way he could resist me. I firmly gripped his mind again. "You will tell me everything."

Once again he shook his head. "I really can't. I can't tell you why either. Would you just get out of my head?!"

Out of frustration I forced myself deeper inside his mind, prying every corner. "You will tell me!"

I had a glimpse of some of his memories, faces and places flashing before my eyes. He was a young boy, playing with a girl a few years older than he was. The memories shifted again and I was standing in front of a beach. Seth was watching several boys down the shore, hanging out. I could feel his desire to join them. He stepped forward as if to approach them but turned back around and headed towards the forest.

The scene shifted again. This time, I was in a cozy living room. A younger Seth stood by the coffee table a few feet from me with an agonized expression on his face. He held his hands together so tightly his knuckles were turning white. He lifted his eyes when we heard a young woman, a few years older than I was, entering with a man in a wheel chair and Dante's doppelganger.

"Billy, is my dad okay?" Seth asked anxiously, his tortured face searching the man's eyes.

The man in the wheelchair looked away and Dante's doppelganger reached out to touch the man's shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Leah, Seth."

"No!" the woman shrieked, bursting to tears. "No! No! This isn't happening!"

"I'm so sorry," the man in the wheelchair told them again over the woman's cries.

The woman collapsed on the floor and Seth automatically went to her and wrapped his arms around her. She hid her face in his chest and wept audibly. Seth looked at the two men, his own face stained with tears.

"Was it our fault?"

Dante's doppelganger bent down and gently touched Seth's arm. "It wasn't. No one wanted this to happen to your dad."

"But we caused this. He wouldn't have gotten a heart attack if…"

Dante's doppelganger shook his head. "No. What happened to your dad will never be your fault."

"I don't want to be this," the woman murmured, emerging from Seth's chest. "I don't want to have this curse!"

"Leah!" the man in the wheelchair warned her. "Do not speak that way! Our ancestors did not think of this as a curse! This had protected us from the Cold Ones! Never forget that!"

The woman glared at him through her tears. "This is the reason why my father is dead! This is the reason why my family is now broken! This is the reason why Seth will never have a father figure in his life! This is the reason why my mother will be alone for the rest of her life! And this is the reason why the only man I have ever loved is gone from me! TELL ME HOW THIS ISN'T A CURSE!"

"Leah, calm yourself," Dante's doppelganger told her gently but there was firmness in his voice like it was a command. "You need to control this. You need to control your anger."

Seth's grip on her tightened. "Please Leah, don't. Not now."

"Let go of me, Seth," she hissed, her body was shaking. "Let go of me or we all know this isn't going to end well."

Hesitantly, Seth let go off her. She stood up and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Dante's doppelganger looked at the man in the wheelchair before following her out.

The man approached Seth. "Sam will straighten things out. He'll help you. The others will help you too, including Jacob. You and your sister have nothing to worry about."

I waited for the scene to shift but nothing solidified. I was flying through different memories but I couldn't see any of them. I could only barely make out shapes and shadows and they told me nothing. Was it possible that Seth was blocking me out of his memories? With no answer coming to me, I withdrew myself and was slammed back in the car.

Frustrated and tired, I turned to him. "Get out." Without any protest, he opened my door and stepped out.

I stepped on the gas, making a u-turn in a foolishly high speed. When I was clear, I sped off. I drove around for about an hour to clear my thoughts. It was definitely certain that Seth was not human but he couldn't be Nephilim either. I knew no Nephilim, even when they were young, whose minds were as animalistic as his. At the same time, no Nephilim, even highly trained with centuries of experience, can block me as solidly as he did. What I didn't understand the most was why I couldn't access to the memories I was sure held answers to his identity and what he and his gang wants from me. I am not arrogant but I am confident with my skills in brainwashing and mind invasion. After all, I did trick Patch into thinking I did something I really didn't. I was also able to invade Dante's body and forced him to kill himself. But maybe I wasn't really good. Perhaps I was just lucky. But another thought had struck me, one more terrifying than my other thoughts.

What if Seth and his gang were a different type of Nephilim? What if they're a new generation of Nephilim, one stronger than any of us are? It was possible that they were some kind of mutation. Fallen angels do not age nor their bodies change into something different. But what if they mated with humans that had some kind of mutation in their genes? Okay, the probability of that wouldn't be high at all. And it's even more unlikely that these "mutated" Nephilim find their way to each other. Even if they are "mutated", what could they possibly want from me?

I slowed down in front of my house, entering the driveway. Drops of rain were beginning to fall when I had left Seth stranded on the street in the middle of nowhere. But now, it was raining buckets. I shielded my face with no success until I got to the porch.

I sensed the intruder a millisecond before I stepped inside the living room. I was thrown off into the air, hit by something very similar to a baseball bat. I flew against the wall of the stairs before hitting back to the uneven steps. I felt the air escape my lungs and my head threatened to burst. I tasted the iron taste of blood in my mouth.

"Where are they?!" a woman screamed at me as she grabbed me by the collar and lifted me with incredible strength. I knew who it was right away and I quickly flung my shields up.

I spat the blood out of my mouth, meaning to spit at her face but thinking better. "You know you've gotten low when you attack the heir of your leader's secret society in the dark."

"You're no heir," Lisa hissed as her grip in my throat tightened. "You're nothing but a treacherous disappointment. You tarnished the Black Hand's good name and insulted the Nephilim race as a whole! Now where are they?!"

Okay, I was seriously running out of patience. I let my guard down and assaulted her mind mercilessly, her defenses too weak. I tricked her into thinking her skin was on fire, every inch of her burning to ashes. She immediately dropped me as she thrashed about, screaming.

"What part of 'I don't know' don't you understand?" I growled, angrily. She covered her ears as my words echoed in her head deafeningly. "Have you even cared about the other soldiers that have died for your stupid secret society?! And if you're so worried about their safety, why don't you disperse your own private army to look for them instead of looking for them on me?! Didn't I tell you, my involvement with your society and with Hank's family ended once the war was over?! Didn't I tell you to leave me alone and let me have my life?! You have your peace and your freedom, isn't that enough?!"

I tricked her into thinking her mind was being compressed. She screamed and shouted as she grabbed her head blindly. I felt her mind closing in on itself slowly but I could feel the pain it caused her. I wondered if I did crush her mind, would she still be alive? I haven't really explored my powers in full but I was willing to give it a go.

"Angel," Patch's voice called out to me and immediately, my attack on Lisa's mind stopped. I turned instinctively where I heard his voice. He was standing beside me, his hand gripping my hand tightly. His eyes were serious, staring at me intently.

My eyes widened as I realized what I had done, as if I was waking up from a trance. I looked over at Lisa just in time to see her turn over and retched. She looked up, her eyes flaring with anger and her brow was thick with sweat. Her blouse was damp with vile and sweat.

"You," she hissed at Patch and me. "You will pay for this! The both of you!"

Patch turned his eyes on her. "None of the society members know what you have been doing. Do you honestly think attacking the person who killed Dante will sit well with them? You know exactly why Susanna and Marcie had to escape to Italy. All of the higher ups except you voted for their exile. You know the members felt displeased that Marcie foolishly betrayed the Nephilim race by burning every single fallen angel feather. They told you not to go looking for them."

I frowned, still a bit dazed at my actions to say anything. How did Patch know that Marcie and Susanna were exiled? I wasn't even aware of it. But then, I really didn't actively participated in the post-war conferences that the council of the Black Hand's society had.

"Get out," he ordered, his voice was calm but the air was suddenly filled with electricity. Lisa's eyes widened with fear, staring at him before rushing out of the door. We stood there in silence for a few seconds. I realized I was holding my breath and let it go slowly. This broke the silence as he moved towards the vile on the floor.

"I'll clean this up," he said silently as he disappeared to the kitchen to get the mop. I forced my eyes close and controlled my chest that felt like there were dozens of horses stomping on it. I sat down at the bottom steps, going through any possible injuries. My head was still throbbing but it was slowly fading away. I watched as the purple bruises in my right arm fade with every calming breath.

I heard Patch return with the mop and a bucket of water. Without a word, he started cleaning up the mess Lisa had left. I knew there was something he wanted to say. I sighed and stood up, walking towards the entrance of the living room, and leaning against the wall. I watched him as he mopped, the lines of muscle slightly showing as he pushed the mop around.

"Tell me what I did wrong," I muttered, crossing my arms.

I heard an audible sigh escape from his lips. He looked up at me, leaning on the other side of the wall. "You shouldn't have attacked her."

"It wasn't unprovoked," I reasoned, frowning. "She attacked me first. I was defending myself."

"But if this gets to the Nephilim world, we'll be in trouble."

"What, are they going to target me again?"

"No. Probably not. But they will be more reluctant to help us when we need them. I was hoping we'd get as much allies as we can. If they find out you used your mind tricks against Lisa Martin, someone with a high rank in their society, they wouldn't be pleased."

"But she attacked me first," I protested again. "She's the one who went in my house and blind-sided me. And like you said, even if she goes to the council to tell them I attacked her when she was just getting information about Marcie and Susanna, they wouldn't look at her with favor."

He nodded. "But they will lose their trust in you. I don't want to overestimate their appreciation for what we've done. Nephilim lives were still lost and their blood was still spilled." He sighed again. "I want you to open the lines of communication between you and the council. Take part in some of their meetings even though it's irrelevant to you now. Keep Lisa on her toes."

Patch leaned the mop on the wall before straightening up. "Basso contacted me tonight and told me not to worry for now. The Legion still haven't decided on a punishment but he guaranteed your safety. I need to go." He approached me and kissed me on the forehead as he passed by. Something within the conversation bothered me but I wasn't sure until he was almost out of the door.

"Patch," I called after him. He turned, his hand on the door handle. "What do you mean you were hoping we'd get as much allies as we can?"

"I'm not sure myself, yet," he answered before leaving. "But I feel like something big is going to happen."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I drove to school with a dull ache threatening at my temples. I had stayed up all night trying to sum up what exactly it is I am up against right now. It was certain with Lisa's unannounced attack that Seth was not in cahoots with her. If he or his gang was, it wouldn't have been Lisa who attacked me at home yesterday. She was desperate with no one by her side. If she was alone, I could take her.

So that leaves me with Seth and his gang.

As much as I want to believe Seth, something tells me I wasn't at the wrong place at the wrong time like his gang had claimed. They may not be with Lisa but they definitely have something against me.

Then there's Patch and the Archangels. He is still meeting with Basso right now and maybe they're sorting things out with the Archangels. But for the past eight hours, I haven't had any attacks or sudden abduction so maybe this day would pass as normal. Perhaps I wasn't the Archangels' punishment.

Besides, I don't think abducting me would sit too well with the Nephilim race. Okay, I may be playing the "I gave you freedom" card too much but I did help them. The Archangels on the other hand was not particularly active in the war between the fallen angels and the Nephil, though I bet they were watching it closely. Perhaps if they did something to me, at least Black Hand's organization would react to it. As much as I know the Archangels are powerful, they are endangering humans, millions of them, unknowingly under the influence of the Nephilim power. I don't think the Archangels' boss would be too happy if humans were hurt.

But like what Patch had said, the punishment would not be a walk in the park.

With a slight panic, I realized I was a bit late. The student parking lot was already filled and the few available spots were at the back. It was just my luck that I would have to walk all the way from the edge of the parking lot to the school's main entrance with the little time I have. I slid in one of the parking spots and quickly turned off the engine. I got out and started jogging, hoping I could manage to actually be on time, avoiding a detention slip.

I stepped inside O'Connor's class just as the bell rang. He gave me a dirty look that I matched with a triumphant one as I settled down in my seat. He would have just loved to put me in detention today. I was too busy being relieved I dodged detention that I didn't notice Seth's absence right away, but when I did I knew it was no coincidence.

So when I saw Vee combing through the crowd at the end of the day, I crossed my arms and leaned against the Volkswagen. "He's not coming. He hasn't been here all day."

I told her what happened yesterday, telling her about Seth's ability to block memories from me without effort, Lisa's attack on me, and my theory about it all. I stopped for a second as I realized something.

"Perhaps Seth and his gang were really not after me," I said, my stomach feeling hollow. "I mean, if Lisa didn't send them after me, then perhaps I was just really on the wrong place at the wrong time. I chased away Seth for nothing."

"But he is a Nephil and his gang are all Nephils," Vee countered earnestly. "There is no way they wouldn't have known they were attacking Hank's daughter."

I shook my head. "No Nephil can unconsciously block their minds. I don't think they are."

"But they are not human either. They threatened you, Nora. By attacking you, they threatened you."

"Who attacked Nora?" Patch's inquiring voice floated from behind us and I whipped around to see him standing by his motorcycle, a few feet away from us.

"Uh…Nobody," Vee hurriedly said, flashing her smile but the damage was done.

"Nora?" Patch's eyes shifted to mine and I know I couldn't escape.

"A gang had cornered me one night when Vee and I went to the Devil's Handbag. We thought they were Nephil at first but now, we aren't so sure. One of them tried to befriend me and I cornered him yesterday when you were tracking down Basso. I tried to invade his mind but he was unconsciously blocking me from some of his thoughts and memories."

"Where is he now?" he asked, his eyes slightly shifting around. His voice was calm and his stance was relaxed but I could see his hands fist tightly.

"That's the thing, we don't know. He wasn't in school today," I told him. His eyes went straight back at me, piercing and cold that I flinched.

He grabbed my hand and forced me to sit at the back of his motorcycle, handing me the helmet.

"I'll need your keys," he said, holding his hand out for them. I fished them out of my pocket and handed them to him hesitantly.

He turned to Vee and pressed the keys in her palm. "Please take Nora's car back to her home. I need to talk to her privately."

He saddled on the motorcycle, turning the engine on. It purred softly beneath me before he backed out of his spot. I saw Vee mouth "I'm sorry" before I was yanked against him as he accelerated out of the school parking lot.

We slowed down in front of the Delphic Amusement Park. He turned off the engine and got off, sliding the helmet off his head. He reached out and clicked the strap off my chin. I slid my helmet off, feeling like a kid caught accidentally breaking a vase.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just thought I could fight my own battles and I thought this has nothing to do with you."

He shook his head. "I know you can fight your own battles and I know I haven't been there to protect you from any of it. But that doesn't mean I am not angry enough to hunt down that Seth and his gang and make him pay for what they did to you."

"But it doesn't matter now. I mean, it looks like he's gone," I told him, wrapping my hand around his.

"But I don't think it was just a random coincidence that they cornered you that night at the Devil's Handbag," he said seriously, looking straight into my eyes. "With everything we've been through, I know nothing is coincidence anymore."

"Seth and his gang are not Nephil, though."

"Yeah, but I heard Vee say they aren't human either. I want you to be careful. We don't know if he's gone but even so, I don't want you to go looking for him. Please, please don't put yourself in danger just for information. They're not going to give you any and you're just risking your life for nothing."

I bit my lip and nodded. He's right. As much as I want to know what Seth and his gang are, I don't think putting myself into danger is worth anything they would tell me. They're dangerous and that's all I need to know.

"But I'm not going to leave you alone without any protection," his words floated back to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, now a bit puzzled and honestly a bit insulted. "I could protect myself and Vee can help me out in tough situations."

He shook his head. "Another pair of hands to fight for you won't hurt."

Was he actually doing what I think he was doing? Is he going to set someone up to protect me? He took me to the small shack that led to the underground tunnels. We walked in the darkness until we reached his place.

When I stepped inside his underground studio, I felt a bit surprised. It was like nothing had changed. Everything, from the dark furniture to the handsome landscape were the exactly the same as they were when we had left to hunt down Pepper before Scott and I found Marcie burning the fallen angel feathers.

"Pepper!" Patch called out, opening a door I recognized with unease as the room where he had kept Hank Miller prisoner. A few seconds later, Pepper's cherubim face peeked out of the doorway and looked at us with cold eyes.

"What?" he asked impatiently.

"I need to talk to you," Patch replied.

"I can't. I'm busy trying to track down Basso like you asked me," Pepper waved his hand towards the door he just came out of. "That's not an easy task anymore since, oh wait, I'm not an Archangel anymore."

Patch rolled his eyes but it was the only comment on Pepper's behavior. "Your methods are taking too long. I'm going to do it myself. But I do have another mission for you."

"Oh?"

"Keep Nora safe," he said shortly before turning towards the door again.

My mouth hung open for a few seconds before I found my voice again. "What? You're serious? He's the pair of extra hands you're talking about?" For the few short months I had known Pepper, he was completely useless in confrontations. He's afraid of anyone or anything that can overpower him and he is easily influenced as long as bribery or fear are waved in front of his face.

"He's all we have now. If Lisa is after you, he's the best I could give you for protection. He was an Archangel and some of his powers are at least still there," he told me, gently placing his hands on my arms.

"But what about you," I said, waiving towards his chest.

"I need to talk to Basso first to get my punishments in order. Until then, I could do nothing for you. I'm sorry."

"Hey, I'm not completely useless," Pepper pitched in, breaking the tense silence between us.

Patch nodded stiffly before turning towards Pepper. "Listen to me, if you even think of hurting Nora in any way, shape, or form, you're going to be sent to hell quicker than you can say 'Enoch', you got it?"

"Yeah, keep an eye on your girl and don't hurt her, got it," Pepper replied, innocently putting his hands up.

Patch sighed before turning again and giving me a peck on the lips. He walked over the door, looking back. "Behave and take care of her."

"I will," Pepper and I replied at the same time, causing us to look at each other.

Patch chuckled before closing the door behind him. I turned towards Pepper and his frown was already noticeable. Okay, well he can't hurt me but he can definitely be hostile with me. I turned around and disappeared into the kitchen just to have something to do. I wasn't exactly on the mood for Pepper's dirty looks which probably followed me in the kitchen.

"I told him about you and Seth," Pepper called out.

I stopped opening the second drawer I came in contact with and froze at my spot. I walked back inside the living room where he was, breathing heavily.

"What did you say?"

Pepper smirked at me, gloatingly. "I told him about you and Seth. That's probably why he's going to hunt down Seth and kill him or something. Anyways, he wasn't too pleased about it. I wouldn't put it past Jev to have you stalked."

"He is not going to stalk me and he's not going to kill anyone," I scoffed, trying to believe it myself. "If he wants me watched, he'll do the exact same thing right now. Of course, that doesn't mean this is a picnic for me either."

"I guess you really don't know Jev that well," he shrugged, slumping down the couch, staring at me knowingly. "He gets protective when he wants something to the point its actually quite suffocating."

"Well, he's not going to suffocate me. I love him and he loves me and he's just doing what he thinks is right." I turned to return to the kitchen before he can say anything else but he got in another word.

"Yeah, because that tracking device in your hoodie right now is giving you a lot of freedom, isn't it?"

I stopped in my tracks again. I wasn't wearing the jean jacket I knew Patch had installed a tracking device in. I was wearing my pink hoodie, the one I wore that wonderful day I had with Patch before he went away for his trial.

"It does not have any tracking device," I declared clearly.

"Well how did you think he knew where you were?"

I scoffed for real this time. "He knows I had school. Of course he's going to look at school for me first."

"Okay," he said in a singsong voice. This had poked my last nerve. I stared at him fully, trying to hide my annoyance.

"And what about you?" I asked him, my voice rising up a bit. "So serving Patch is your hell? I can't say you don't deserve it."

That did it. I saw the stung in his cherubim face and watched as it bloated a bit. "It's none of your business."

"Don't do the crime if you can't do the time," I said, adopting the same singsong voice he used on me. His nostrils flared and he looked away.

"Shut up," he warned, glaring at me.

I smirked before turning away. "Whatever."

I retired to Patch's room, locking the door behind me. I exhaled, forcing my anger to be kept at bay. I lied down on the bed, staring at the jagged ceiling of the underground studio. I didn't want to get angry like that but Pepper knew the right buttons to push me. I wouldn't be surprised if he brings up the fact I don't know Patch that well, that I don't know much about his past. It was probable that Pepper knew more than I did. It was turning out to be like that with Patch, that other people knew more about him than I did.

I pushed the thoughts away from my head. There was no use in thinking of them now. If I can't trust Patch, who would I be able to trust? Lisa is lurking somewhere in the shadows and if I don't keep those who are willing to help me around, then I would have to face her by myself. I think I could handle Lisa herself but I wouldn't put it past her to get some kind of help from the Nephil race.

The sudden noise woke me up, making me sit straight on the bed. My senses were on high alert and my eyes adjusted in the darkness. Something was moving in the shadows near the door. I looked at it apprehensively, my heart hammering against my chest.

"Are you awake?" Pepper's voice asked, floating from the darkness.

"Geez, you scared me Pepper!" I told him, turning away and reaching for the bedside lamp's switch. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Look, I came here to say I'm sorry," Pepper's face appeared as the light flooded Patch's room. "From my comments earlier, I'm sorry."

"What?"

"Patch said I should say sorry to you or he would punish me. Here I am apologizing."

"Fine, it's all right. Now can you go?"

He shook his head, his curls bouncing around his cheeks. "In a way, I wanted to thank you."

"What?" This was definitely something I wasn't expecting, especially not from the way we were at each other's throats a few hours ago. "Are you sick?"

"No, no. It's just that, now that I think about it, you guys saved me from hell."

"Pepper, we asked you to steal all the fallen angel feathers from the Archangels. I don't think that's something to be thankful of," I pointed out, scratching my eyes.

"Yeah, I know, I know. But I suppose I should be thankful that I was caught on that instead of what I was doing here on earth."

"What, stealing and lying?"

"No, not concentrating on my mission. I betrayed them not only because I didn't do what I was assigned to do but because I had the audacity to go back to heaven to live the life on as an Archangel."

"Well I guess you're welcome then," I told him, not knowing what else to say.

He settled at the edge of the bed. "You know we have another mission, right?"

"'We'?" I asked. "What do you mean 'we'?"

"Jev and I, we have another mission here on earth, besides the punishments we're serving right now."

"What is it?"

"We have to keep any future fallen angels from trying to take over a Nephil's body during Cheshvan until the end of time. There will come a time that other angels would fall and they would try to take over a Nephil's body when Cheshvan comes around. The war between them won't end unless we proactively do something about it. Of course, that only stands as long as you're alive."

"Me?"

He nodded. "You're the only connection between the fallen angels and the Nephilim race. If you die, then all hell will break loose. There will be chaos. So I guess I would have to ask you not to die."

"Then I would have to tell you you have to do a stellar job at protecting me."

He chuckled softly. "Want to make a bet I would?"

I leaned my head against the wall, looking straight at him. "You have a gambling problem."

Pepper left me alone after a few minutes only to be back with dinner for me. When I was finished, he showed me a closet filled with clothes Patch had bought for me. He explained that there were toiletries in the bathroom and I could use anything in the house that I wanted.

"But, can't I go home?" I asked him.

"Jev would be returning any moment. He and Basso would want to talk to you once they get here. Just wait some more."

I sighed, thinking of the pile of assignments on my desk right now. There goes my good standing at school. "Fine."

I had changed my clothes and decided to sink back into bed where I succumbed to a strange dream. I was on a forest similar to the one surrounding my house. Yet the trees were darker and the ground looked a lot damper. There was barely any forest sound and the trees were so closed together that no sunlight could penetrate the leaves. In the deafening silence, I heard a muffled rustle to my left. I turned and saw a figure watching me at least twenty feet away. I couldn't make the figure out clearly enough to know what it is and before I could even try, it started moving away from me.

I didn't know why but I knew I had to chase after it. I want something from it so badly that I was willing to run across the forest just to get it. It didn't stop however. I found myself panting and running, trying to get near to it but as it moved faster and faster, I was starting to lose sight of it. Soon, it was hidden in the trees until it was out of my view.

I stopped running, giving up. I turned to head back but I found myself face to face with a wolf. It was the size of a bear on its fours. I froze, quickly scanning my peripheral vision for an escape route. I looked away for a millisecond before realizing too late that I shouldn't have taken my eyes away from the huge brown wolf. My eyes snapped back to the wolf who was on the air, in the middle of a pounce.

I bolted up again, my skin drenched in sweat. My heart was hammering against my chest and I felt like the world is spinning uncontrollably. I placed a hand on my forehead to help me calm down but the rustle of the sheets beside me made me shriek.

"Hey, it's okay," Patch's voice soothed me in the darkness and suddenly I felt his arms around me. "It was just a bad dream. I'm sorry I startled you."

I couldn't talk. My heart was on my throat. I could only whimper and Patch continued to sooth me gently.

"It's okay. You'll be okay. I'll meet you in your dreams. Go back to sleep."

I nodded and slumped back again, feeling his weight lower as well beside me. Soon, I had drifted back to sleep and had succumbed to dreaming again. But this time, I wasn't in the forest. I was lying on Patch's bed. He was staring at me intently, studying every inch of my face. I suddenly felt calm as if the previous dream hadn't happened. I pushed myself up with my elbows, closing the distance between us until my lips brushed his.

"I missed you," I whispered to him.

He smiled. "I did too. I'm sorry to be leaving you suddenly with Pepper. I know he's not your favorite person but he is useful for now."

I nodded. "But you owe me big time. I don't like being babysat."

He chuckled lowly, the sound sending shivers to my spine. "I'll pay up, don't worry."

I gently placed my hand on his shoulder. "How did the meeting with Basso go? Did you find him?"

"Yes," he said, nodding. I sat up this time, interested in what he had to say. "But we haven't talked about the punishment wholly. He wants you to be in it as well."

"Me?"

He nodded again. When he spoke, his voice was hard. "Basso told me that the only way I could serve my sentence with sincerity is if you're involved in it too."

He looked away from me but I gently pried his face back to me. "It's okay. If we're together, we can do anything the Archangels had sent for us."

He shook his head. "But this means you're going to be in trouble one way or another. I'd rather not have you in it at all."

"Well, it's either I'm in it or you're going to be sent to hell and I'm telling you, I'm not going to stick around in this world if you're not here. I've experienced that once and I'm not going to be willing to go through it again, do you understand? Besides, if you're sent to hell and I follow you, then there will be no treaty between the fallen angel and the Nephilim race. There will be no peace. Pepper certainly wouldn't be able to do anything about it either."

He stared at me fully. "So Pepper told you about our other mission."

I nodded. "And as long as you're going to be strong enough to be by my side, then I'm not going anywhere which means there will be no war between the Nephil and the fallen angels."

He smiled and cupped my cheeks on his palm. "Fine but I'll do my very best to keep you safe. I'll make sure you're not in the direct line of fire."

"All right," I agreed. I knew I could handle the dangers. I'm not completely useless but if this mission is as worse as hell, then I knew I would definitely have a hard time with it. But I knew I wasn't going to let Patch go through it alone even if I wasn't involved.

"But Basso told me something interesting," he added a few minutes later. "He wasn't clear about it but he told me that the mission does have something with you, that you have some kind of involvement that doesn't revolve around me."

"Me?"

"Yeah and I have a feeling he's right." Patch leaned against the headboard and ran his fingers through his hair. "Things aren't coincidence anymore Nora. There's something lurking in the shadows and I don't like it."

Suddenly I was thrust back into the memory of my dream. The forest and the shadow I was running to. Often times in the past, my dream was more than a dream. It somehow coincided with everything that was going on in my life.

"What do you mean?" I asked, temporarily pushing the dream away. I would have to deal with whatever it is later.

"I looked for any clues about Seth and his gang. I looked at school records and anything that would tell me about his past and what he's doing here in Coldwater."

"And?" I asked. I had a feeling I knew what the answer was going to be.

"There were no records of a Seth Clearwater anywhere in your school. It was like he was there one day and gone the next."

"So do you think someone is behind it?"

"Possibly. But forging records isn't that hard to do. It would make sense if Seth was there for the kick of it but why go through such a process to get in and then get out the last minute?"

"So you're suspicious of Seth?"

He nodded. "Like I said, there are things lurking in shadows around you I don't like."

"But he's not there anymore. I don't think we should worry about him."

He shook his head. "No. I don't think he's completely gone. He may be just bidding his time. You might have seen something he didn't want to see but he's not finished with whatever it is he wanted. He wouldn't go through all that trouble."

It was my turn to shake my head. I reached for his hands and tried to untie the knot forming in his shoulders. "He's gone, Patch. He can't hurt me anymore. And if he is something else other than human, Nephil, or angel, I don't think I want to know and it looks like he's not going to try anything else on me. Don't worry about it. Besides, I could protect myself. You have no reason to worry anymore."

"Nora," he reasoned with me, his voice hardening again. "That night after the battle, I saw something keeping a close eye on your house after I had dropped you off inside. I didn't see what these things were but I could tell you they're powerful. I chased after them. The air temperature dropped where I was running. I felt cold and I smelled something strange. Whatever they are, they are interested in you now and I know they have the capability to hurt you. I'm not going to let that happen."

I opened my mouth, vividly remembering that night. Besides my mom, I thought we were alone. I tried to remember anything on my radar back then but I only felt my mom sleeping at the second floor of the farm house. Patch was about to say something else but frowned.

"Well Pepper's here; you're about to wake up," he said, gently brushing a strand of hair off my face. I could feel my consciousness beginning to stir as well. I felt the silk above my chest and could faintly hear Pepper's knocks. "It's better if you don't mention any of this to Pepper. I'm not even allowed to talk to you about it but I figured the sooner you know, the better. See you in a few seconds."

I opened my eyes to see Pepper standing cautiously in the doorway. I slid up, brushing away loose strands off my face. I peered sleepily at him and then at the clock by the doorway. It was six in the morning.

"You needed something, Pepper?" Patch asked, straightening up himself. When Pepper saw Patch, he looked extremely uncomfortable. I did not notice it first but when I looked at Patch, his bare torso was showing. Okay, so I had a clue what this looked like.

"Basso wants to see you and Nora immediately. He's upstairs right now," Pepper replied, his eyes carefully avoiding us.

"All right, we'll be right up," I said, jumping to my feet to show him I was fully dressed except I forgot I changed into a loose tank top and underwear last night before I fell asleep. I immediately grabbed the bed sheets in an effort of modesty.

"Okay, Pepper, you can stop staring now," Patch said, getting up himself and picking up his shirt that he left on the sofa by the corner where my own clothes were. Unlike me, he was wearing jeans so he was almost ready to go. Pepper nodded and hurriedly closed the door behind him but not before we heard him squeal.

I reached for my jeans and tugged them on. I was beginning to feel a little nervous and turned around to see how Patch was doing. But instead he was leaning by the door, watching me intently.

"Aren't you nervous?" I asked him as I pulled on my hoodie. "You are hearing about your punishment."

"How can I be when I just woke up beside you this morning?" he shrugged. "I don't know. It feels like it's going to be a good day today."

"Let's just get this over with," I told him with a sigh, facing the door flatly. He opened it and headed out.

Basso was leaning against his car at the parking lot. He looked comfortable enough but his eyes were carefully inspecting every inch of the amusement park. When he saw us approaching, he gave me an easy smile which I returned.

"Nora Grey, it's nice to see you again," he said, nodding towards me.

"Same goes to you too. I want to thank you for keeping Patch out of trouble," I replied, looking straightly in his eyes to converse my utmost respect.

He shrugged. "I just needed to find that loophole and luckily I did." He straightened up and crossed his hands together. "So, shall we move on to the official proceedings?"

"Official proceedings?" I repeated wearily and confused. "I didn't know this is an official proceeding."

"Technically, it is. Basso will state my punishment with you as a witness then after that we will discuss what direction we want to head into. Basso will then return back to the Archangels and I will have to solve the punishment they set out for me," Patch explained.

Basso nodded in confirmation before taking out a piece of rolled paper out of his pocket. It was small but emitted a soft white glow in the dim light. I felt a shiver run down my spine and looked away at the pureness of that piece of paper.

"Angelcraft," Basso commented, seeing my aversion to it. "The devil's brood have Devilcraft and us angels have Angelcraft. No other creature can touch this except angels because the purity of any object infused with Angelcraft can destroy an unworthy creature. Not even man, who have sinned, can look at it properly."

He unrolled the paper and read out loud. "I, Basso, hereby sentence you to find and destroy any attempts from any creatures to bring back the abominable powers of hell. If you fail to do so, you, Jev, will be found guilty and will immediately be banished to the fiery depths for all eternity.

"In addition to this sentencing, as a part of your punishment, the Nephil known as Nora Grey, the descendent of the Nephil, Chauncey, will also participate as your assistant in this punishment. If you choose to accept this punishment, the bind accompanying this announcement will immediately begin. If you choose not to, you will be found guilty and will immediately be banished to the fiery depths for all eternity. Once found guilty, you cannot apply for any appeal. Do you agree to this?"

Patch nodded. "I, Jev, admit committing crimes against the heavens and do hereby agree to the conditions set for my punishment. If I fail any of the conditions mandated by the angels of the Most High, I will gladly surrender myself to hell where I initially belong."

Detective Basso then looked at me, holding out the piece of parcel to me. "Nora Grey, since you are partly human, the creation the Most High loves the most, you will be given a choice. You are free to choose whether you would like to participate in this punishment or leave Jev to his deserved fate. If you choose not to help this fallen angel, he would be thrown into hell. However, if you do choose to help him, you would be tied to his every commandment. Do you agree to these conditions?"

I swallowed. I knew what the implications of the conditions are. If I agree to it, Patch would have complete control of me. My instincts are telling me that control extends to possibly taking over my body like it was Cheshvan.

I didn't mean to take a long time to answer but Patch saw the hesitation. "You don't have to do this Nora," he said, grabbing my hand. "I wouldn't want to be under anyone's control either. If you don't agree, I will find a way of coming back to you."

His words were warmth sweeping in my throat. I looked directly at the scroll in front of me and the words spilled out. "I surrender myself to Patch completely. I will be under his command however long his punishment is carried out." I looked up at Patch then at Basso, hoping my words were enough.

"Very well," Basso said, nodding as he placed the scroll back in his pocket and out of sight. "So, I guess there's nothing left but to tell you more information about your punishment.

"The Avenging Angels had been alerted that creatures still unknown to us are looking for a way to bring back Devilcraft to the human world."

His words blurred after I heard the word "Devilcraft". Not this again.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We were all sitting at Patch's living room, looking expectantly at Basso. Patch was a bit hesitant to let an Archangel inside the city under Delphic Amusement Park, even inside his home but the urgency had won over. Basso cleared his throat, apparently uncomfortable as well. Even though there were only two fallen angels in the world now, the idea of being in the city of the fallen unsettled him.

"Since the fall of Man, several Archangels and the Avenging Angels have seen the emergence of creatures besides the Nephilim race. We believed that these creatures are the manifestation of Man's sins. Most of the time, these creatures would feed on man. We didn't stop this because the human's population had been growing rapidly. As they grew in number, their sins grew as well. Death would always balance this.

"But sometimes, these creatures would get out of control. They would slaughter and kill aimlessly and without prejudice. Sometimes, their presence would threaten the humans in general. When this happens, the Avenging Angles would intervene, destroying the creatures that threaten the humans the most. These creatures would not be identified nor revealed to us. They are too vile to interact with Angels so their powers and abilities are never revealed to us, not until the Avenging Angels would annihilate their kind."

"So one of these creatures are now threatening to bring Devilcraft back to the world." Patch concluded simply, crossing his arms.

Basso nodded. "We believe so. The creatures that are interested in Devilcraft are old, immortal, and powerful. They are civilized and intelligent enough. However, they would establish territories and once they do, they are fiercely protective of it.

"These things are naturally nomads, wandering either alone or with one other companion. However, there are several groups that are large enough to be considered as clans. The closest one is in Washington State, in the small town of Forks while the largest clan can be found in Volterra, Italy, with fifteen members.

"We believe that the clan in Volterra is these creatures' peacekeepers. When their kind threatens the slaughter of a large number of humans for whatever reason, the clan from Volterra would sweep down and eliminate any threat to keep the peace. These creatures actually had alerted us several times before, however, because of this clan, they had actually prevented the elimination of their own kind in many occasions.

"Several years ago, a huge number of these creatures rapidly emerged in Seattle. This threatened the peace of the humans. A lot of them were being slaughtered and killed. So naturally, this sudden activity alerted us Archangels and the Avenging Angels. We theorized that these creatures were preparing for war against the nearest clan, the one in Forks. We believed that they were going to start a territorial war. It was clear that the clan in Forks knew this was coming as well so they came prepared. A battle had begun. The clan in Forks came out victorious with all of their members intact. The Volterra clan had several of its members sent to the area but they did not intervene in the battle. Afterwards, however, they eliminated every single member of the Seattle clan.

"However, several months later, the clan in Forks added two members. After this, they began to recruit several of the other clans around the world, even some nomads. Their number began to grow until Forks had at least thirty members. What bothered us more is ever since their battle against the Seattle clan, they had the allegiance of another type of creature, still unknown to us. These creatures had helped them defeat the Seattle clan. So now, this clan has the advantage of numbers, their own powers, and the strength of another unknown set of creatures.

"We believed this particular clan was ready for domination. We believed they were planning to overthrow the clan in Volterra and become the leaders of their kind. However, the Volterra must have seen this coming so they came down to Forks. They began to recruit nomads and other clans all over the world. Their original number tripled and they faced the clan in Forks.

"What puzzled us most is after all the activity and preparations, no war had begun. However, the Volterra clan killed one of its own and left. We assumed that a diplomatic solution had settled the conflict and we thought it was the end of that.

"Last month, after the battle during Cheshvan, interest of Devilcraft had been stirring within their kind. We do not know how they got the knowledge of Devilcraft and we do not know which clan is actually interested in it. So the Archangels and the Avenging Angels had concluded that since there are no one that knows this area better than you two, we need your help to eliminate this threat."

I stood up quickly, angered. "So you're telling me you held a trial for Patch because you want us to eliminate this threat?! Patch didn't really do anything!"

Basso nodded again, slowly this time. "I do admit that this was the only way to get you into it."

"But you had the threat of hell hanging over our heads!" I screamed, outraged. "Is it impossible for you to just ask us?!"

To my surprise and fury, Basso laughed. "We are Archangels. Even if we didn't place Jev in a trial, we would still have the power to hold a decree to bind Jev into this job. But honestly, if we asked you about this, there is a large possibility that Jev, along with you, would run. We knew he was flight risk ever since we asked him to stay away from you. This is a good way for him not to be sent to hell, Nora."

"He is right, Nora," Patch said behind me, gently tugging at my hand, signaling me to sit down. "If they asked or even commanded me to do it, I wouldn't do it. I would just run away."

"Besides, we're Archangels. We don't do anything without a little show of authority in it," Basso added with a full-on grin.

I snarled but said nothing else as I was compelled to sit down and become silent. I looked at Patch and I knew this is a part of the agreement I entered just a few minutes ago. Patch ignored the glares I was shooting him and looked directly at Basso.

"So since you assumed the Volterra clan is the peacekeeper, you are saying the Forks clan is the one interested in Devilcraft," he said in a definite tone once more.

"Yes," Basso said, returning Patch's intense stare. "We believe that the Forks clan would use Devilcraft to overthrow Volterra and become their kind's new leader. It isn't impossible. If they recruited the help of the same clans the last time and the unknown creatures and pair that with the power of Devilcraft, the Volterra clan would not stand a chance. Furthermore, they would have the control over the others of their kind and who knows what horrors they would inflict on Man."

"We need to be prepared then," Patch looked at me meaningfully. "If we're dealing with unknown creatures in great numbers and unknown powers, we'll need to have our own edge as well."

"Well, the Archangels were hoping these things would be diplomatic. If you convince them, they might cease their efforts."

"How do you suppose we do that?" I asked Basso curtly.

He shrugged. "That would be up to you. But to help you out, the Avenging Angels agreed to guard Hell's entrance to prevent any attempts from these creatures. I have also guaranteed that if these creatures attempt to hurt you in anyway, you are at the liberty to fight back. If you fail to stop these creatures, the Avenging Angels would eliminate their kind and sad to say, you would be sent to hell."

"If we fail, what would happen to Nora?" Patch asked.

"Nothing. Like what I said, she is still partly human so she is protected. But we do believe that knowing you are in hell for all eternity would be enough of a punishment for her."

Basso raised his eyebrows knowingly at me and I nodded.

"So, you're saying we have to stop them diplomatically?" I asked him, knowing by the sound of these creatures, nothing would be done diplomatically.

He shook his head. "No. Though we prefer things would remain diplomatic, we would accept any method as long as these creatures wouldn't get to the Devilcraft at all."

"I need you to guarantee one thing," Patch said, standing up.

"What is it?"

"I want allies. I want the numbers too"

"Who are you going to recruit for this mission, Jev?" he inquired suspiciously. I feared where this was going.

"The Nephilim race."

My stomach dropped as my fears were confirmed. Basso's face hardened. "Why would you want their help for this mission?"

"Because they know Devilcraft and it had been used against them in the past as well. They do not want this power to get out of hell as much as you do. The deaths of their brother and sisters are still fresh in their mind. Besides, they are the only other creatures powerful enough and immortal enough to fight the creatures you talked about. Of course, we only need pure-bred or half-bred Nephils fighting in our side. There's no use having third generations and on fighting this because they are mortals."

"And I suppose you want Nora to recruit them for you?"

I whipped at him in disbelief but he refused to look at me. "Yes. There's no one better to fuel their rage other than the heir of Black Hand herself and the person who saved them from Devilcraft."

"Very well but they would be your responsibility, Jev. If one of these Nephils mess it up, it would be on both of your heads. Do I make myself clear?"

Patch nodded.

Basso stood up and fixed his suit. He stuck his hand out and Patch shook it. "Very well. We have a deal. I will convene this to the rest of the Archangels. Good day to the both of you."

He exited out without another look back. I turned towards Patch who looked as calm as ever. "You want the Nephil race to be involved in this?!"

He shrugged. "Either way, they would know about it. I don't think something this big, especially this close to their heart, would escape from them."

"How do you suppose I get their cooperation?!"

"Come on, Nora," Peper said finally that I forgot he was even there. "You know as well as the rest of us that they are at your feet right now. You can tell them exactly what you need. Just call on a meeting and tell them your strategy." He bit his lip. "Hang on, what is our strategy?"

"We need to settle this diplomatically with the Forks clan first. However, we are not going there unprepared. We will have the loyalty of the Nephil race with us even before we go just in case things get ugly," Patch said, combing his hair with his fingers as he think. "Pepper and I will go to Forks and you will wait for any news of us here with the Nephil race, Nora. If we cannot talk to them diplomatically, get ready for war."

I opened my mouth in protest. "I'm not going to miss this! I'm not going to stay here and wait!"

"No, it's too dangerous. We don't even know what we're dealing with."

"But I can handle myself!"

He shook his head firmly. "Who do you suppose will lead them here, then? It cannot be me or Pepper since both of us are fallen angels. It has to be you. You are their leader."

I quickly racked my brains for any argument. There was no way I would let Patch leave again, not when I just got him back. "Yes, but no one alive knows Devilcraft more than me! In case you forgot, I ingested it and I was wounded by it."

Pepper nodded in agreement. "Well you really can't argue with that, Jev."

He shook his head. "No. We still need to have someone prepare the Nephils, train them."

Then it suddenly hit me. "Vee!"

"What?"

"Vee can train them. She's a Nephil too. She'll know what to do with them. Most of all, her loyalty is with me."

Patch rubbed his chin, thinking deeply, no doubt, for a loophole in my argument. When he sighed, it sounded resigned. "Very well, you can come. But I want you to call a Nephilim meeting right away. Get Vee in it as well."

I nodded in agreement. But something was bothering me, something I just realized now as I thought back on Basso's story about these creatures. One of clans resided in Italy. A few seconds passed by as I thought why that should matter before it hit me. "Patch!"

"Yeah?"

"One of the clans is in Italy."

He nodded, slowly, trying to figure out where I was going with this. "Yeah, and?"

"Marcie!"

"What about her?"

"Marcie is in Italy too. She suddenly disappeared, remember?"

He frowned. "You don't think she had something to do with this, do you?"

"I think she knows about Devilcraft, or at least her mother does. It's like what you said, nothing is coincidence anymore. I think it's possible they had informed the Volterra clan about Devilcraft." I bit my lip, thinking. "Do you think that instead of the Forks clan wanting to get their hands on Devilcraft, it's actually the Volterra clan?"

"But why?" Pepper asked, pacing back and forth. He was engaged in this as much as we were. "They have everything: immortality, power, and prestige among their own kind. I don't think they need Devilcraft."

"But they are against the Forks clan," Patch pointed out. "What if they want the Devilcraft to make sure the Forks clan never questions them. Basso said their conflict was diplomatically resolved but what if the Volterra clan actually wants this to make sure no one would question them ever again? What if they want to use this to destroy the Forks clan?"

"That would imply they are drunk with power," Pepper answered him, frowning. "Regimes rise and fall but if they have the Devilcraft by their side, theirs would never see their downfall."

"Exactly."

"It does actually make more sense if the Forks clan wants it," I told both of them. "I mean, that's what the Archangels thought. They are the ones who actually started recruiting first, didn't they? So that means, they wanted the war to happen first. They challenged their royalties first."

Patch nodded. "We'll never know if we keep theorizing here. We need to go directly to the root of the problem. We're going to Forks, Washington."

Even though I had my doubts as to who wanted the Devilcraft, I decided to use the possibility that Marcie and Susanna were somehow involved into this to convince Lisa to get a meeting for me. I called her at her old number once I got home, doubting it would work. But I was extremely surprised when she picked up.

"What do you want?" she asked with hostility.

"I think I know where Marcie and Susanna could be."

"Where?" she was still suspicious.

"Italy."

I could hear her snarl on the other line. "I know they are in Italy. Do not play games with me girl."

I inhaled a sharp breath of air. I might as well push this theory of mine to the edge. "Well I think they're in trouble. But I cannot talk unless it's a secure line. I want you to call a meeting with the other members of the Black Hand's society. I want them to hear what I have to say."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Because I have answers to your search. I'm the only lead you have. I figured you already went to Italy and had not found them. I think they were abducted."

"How can members of the Nephil race be abducted?!" she was screaming. Apparently she still doesn't believe me.

"Not in an unsecured line," I hissed. "Call the meeting or you won't get anything." I hung up, wondering she'll take the bait.

The following day, I received a text message from her, telling me to go to the Marriot hotel in Portland that night. Somehow, within twenty-four hours, she had convinced important members of the society to hear what I have to say. I immediately called Patch so if this was some kind of trap, I wouldn't be alone in it. I also called Vee because she's vital to this plan. We agreed to meet at the place. I quickly locked up and drove my Volkswagon to the Marriot hotel.

Vee was standing by the lobby, waiting for me patiently. When I reached her, she grabbed me by the hand. "What is it? You sounded really urgent. Is it Lisa?"

"I just wanted you to become a part of the Black Hand's society."

Her mouth dropped. "Say what?"

"Come on, I'll explain when we get there." I looked around for Patch but decided he must be somewhere lurking in the shadows. I suppose if he was there with me, it'll be harder for persuade the other members.

I looked quickly for conference 5, turning to several corridors. Finally, I saw oak double-doors with the number 5 plastered on top. I readied myself just in case this was an ambush before turning the doorknob open. Inside were dozens of members of the Black Hand society. They looked at me expectantly. There was a mini-stage in front complete with a podium. Lisa was standing there, in the middle of saying something. Everyone didn't look happy at all, judging by how they frowned.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Nora Grey," Lisa introduced me, waving towards where I was. Vee glanced at me both worried and embarrassed that all of them were looking at us suddenly. I nodded, signaling I'll be fine. She settled in one of the chairs at the back and I walked towards the stage.

I stepped up the podium and looked around the room filled with expectant faces. I cleared my throat and tried to get something out but nothing came. I inhaled sharply.

"Today, we are faced again with another crisis. I recently have found out that we are not alone in this world. Besides the fallen angels that are now banished in hell, there are other creatures that roam this earth that can threaten our safety. Apparently, one of those creatures is now threatening to bring back Devilcraft in order to achieve great power."

The murmur that went throughout the room didn't surprise me. I saw their hesitation to believe me and I don't blame them. I don't have much proof other than my own words. I looked around, estimating the room to be holding about fifty or more people. Wondering if I can do this, I reached out my mental net to them. The resistance was immediate and overwhelming.

"To explain this to you, I need to show you what happened and how it happened. I need to show you the conversation I had with the Archangel who informed me about this."

I felt them resisting longer until I felt like my net was going to break. Taking an inhale, I quickly looked for any of their quick spots and bombarded them with the bombs. One by one, they surrendered. When I had all of them under my control, I concentrated on yesterday's memory. Though I didn't want to brainwash them, I offered suggestions to make them believe me easier. A lot of them yielded while I could still feel several resisting, including Lisa.

Once the memory was finished, I let all of them go, sliding my control off. I gave them a few seconds before letting them recover. "Additionally to that, I think Marcie and Susanna Miller, my father's remaining family are in trouble. They are the only one with the direct link to the Devilcraft and any information about its existence, its whereabouts, and its power."

"Are you accusing Susanna and Marcie of treason?!" Lisa spoke outraged.

I shook my head. "No. But I don't think they are in a safe position right now. The only way we could know for sure is if we investigate this further. But we cannot guarantee a diplomatic solution will be reached if these creatures are desperate and determined to retrieve Devilcraft out of hell. If they do not yield, we will have no choice but to wage war against them to make sure Devilcraft never leaves hell to harm us ever again."

"From what you're saying, it looks like these creatures are not seeking to fight us but they want to fight each other," one man from behind asked in a reasonable tone. "We don't know what these things are capable of. Is it actually worth risking our lives if the enemy is not us?"

"If they know about the Devilcraft, they certainly know about us," I told him. "Would you risk having that power on their hands when they finally do face us? What they are seeking is total domination. Total domination for their creatures for now, yes. But what makes you think they are not going to stop there? We are immortals, most of us. We are powerful and my father had trained you all well. We are a definite threat to them and if we let them, we could be their next target. If we prevent them from getting their hands on Devilcraft, then we would be able to live in harmony."

"Why not just get the Devilcraft ourselves?" another man spoke up from behind the room. "Get the Devilcraft before they get it."

I shook my head. "That would not work. A Nephil once held that and the consequences were grave. That much power should never be yielded by a group seeking for power. If we have that power, I could guarantee you we would be destroying each other next. It is better to have it remain in hell where it cannot harm us. Besides, we would never be able to get to it without being destroyed by the Archangels guarding the entrance of hell right this moment. They will not be merciful and they would make sure every single Nephil, even with the tiniest hint, would be destroyed."

"So what's the plan?" I recognized Vee's voice fom the back.

"I will go to Washington to investigate along with Patch and Pepper." The murmur of the crowd did not sound happy. "I understand that they are the two remaining fallen angel. But remember that Patch helped me save the Nephilim race and in great personal danger while Pepper is forever under him because of his sentence as a fallen angel. They are our allies."

"If you're going, who will stay here and command this army you're planning to build?" the man who asked the question after Lisa raised his voice again.

"I want to introduce you to Vee Sky," I proudly said, beckoning Vee to come in front. She looked stunned as the heads turned to her. She stiffly got up and walked towards the stage.

"What's her qualifications?" the man asked again.

"She had been training me in personal combat. Besides this, she is skilled in mind control and brainwashing. Most importantly, Scott Parnell trained her." When the crowd heard Scott's name, another wave of murmur rose. This time, however, I heard approval.

Vee was staring at me in disbelief however. "Me?" she mouthed, pointing numbly at her chest.

I nodded. "She will show you loyalty and perseverance as she had shown me over and over again. Furthermore, she will have constant communications with me so she will know exactly what needs to be done."

The man who kept asking questions stood up. I recognized him in the previous meetings we held. He had thin glasses above green eyes. He wore a light gray suit and shiny black shoes. His mousy hair was neatly combed. He was one of the closest advisors to Hank when he was still alive but he kept his distance during the war.

"May I suggest something?" he asked me.

"Go right ahead."

"On behalf of the members gathered here today, I think it would be safer if Ms. Sky accompany you to this investigation."

I didn't respond, quickly suspicious. Someone suggesting that we get the Devilcraft for ourselves means they are thinking of it. I didn't want these people to actually attempt stealing Devilcraft.

"Why?"

"Because we believe that it would be better if we have some inkling as to what we're dealing with. It would be harder to communicate what needs to be done physically to Ms. Sky if it is only through a phone."

"Very well then, but I want you to make a Blood Oath," I said firmly.

"Why, do you not trust us?"

"I want to make sure that none of you attempts to get Devilcraft at all," I told them firmly.

They didn't look pleased and I was afraid I was pushing it a little too far. I was already making assumptions here so I might as well make another one. "Don't you see, the Archangels will destroy you if I tell them you are planning this. Just take the Blood Oath and this will be over. Vee will come with me to Washington, come back here with any further instructions, and fight if we must."

"Very well," the man finally said, looking around the room. "We do owe her a lot, fellow members. I think it is fair we show our loyalty to Black Hand's heir."

I felt suspicious even more. Things were never this easy. But here they were, pricking their fingers and slicing their arms, reciting words of loyalty to me. Once every member had finished, they all took a seat. By then, their wounds had healed even before their blood on the carpet had dried. Lisa was the only one standing up.

"I suggest you make a Blood Oath as well," she told me, glaringly.

I was committing myself a lot. "What do you want done?"

"Find Marcie and Susanna."

"Is that it?"

She nodded.

"Very well." I took my nail and dug into my skin. My strength immediately broke through the thin layers and I was able to shake off a couple of drops of blood. "I swear to find Marcie and Susanna Miller. If not, I would return to dust."

Seemingly satisfied, she sat down. Unsure if she realized she just forced me to find them but not keep them safe, I continued on without pointing it out. "For now, I want all the pure-blooded and half-blooded Nephil to begin their training. We have several of our commanders so please prepare. This meeting is adjourned."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Patch stood waiting for me by the farmhouse's patio. I got out of the car, a little apprehensive. I knew he was watching my performance tonight with the Black Hand's society but I am unsure what he thought of it. I know I could have done better with communicating with them. Maybe I should have called for several more meetings instead of breaking it to them like that. The kind of alliance we need takes time, right? I knew we needed more time to know what they actually feel and they need to know what exactly it was they need to do. I was completely unsure. But when I was near enough, I saw his face break into a smile. I felt relieved and pleased enough to give him a hug as soon as I reached him.

"You did so well, Angel," he assured me, gently patting the back of my head.

I pulled away and looked directly as his dark eyes. "I wasn't sure. I know I should have done better with them. I know I should have given them more." I stopped briefly, thinking about the biggest worry swirling inside my head. "I don't know if I can trust them or how far I could trust them."

"Let's go inside," he said, gently egging his head towards the door. He took the keys from me and led me inside. He closed the door gently and opened the lights to the living room, completely aware where he was going.

"Well?" I asked as he settled down in one of the couches.

"I agree with you. I never remember them agreeing to something as easily as they did just now. Not with Nephils. There must be something beneath it."

"But I made them swear loyalty to me through a Blood Oath," I told him.

He shook his head. "That won't bind them completely. When Hank abducted you to get to me, there were a lot of Blood Oaths sworn between Hank and myself. It's all about technicality."

"What are you saying?"

"Hank promised he will let you go when he believed I had enough information on fallen angels for him. He never swore he'll tell me when that is or where you're going to be released. He also swore he will never harm you but others had done it for him. Technicality."

"So…you don't think they'll attempt to get the Devilcraft?" I was already feeling my stomach sour.

He stared directly at my eyes. "What exactly did they swear to you?"

I bit my lip, trying to remember every word they recited. "They swore that if they broke their loyalty to me, they and their descendants will return to dust. I thought that would be enough. It is against my wishes for them to attempt getting Devilcraft."

He sighed heavily. "Nora that is another technicality. If they believe they're doing it for you, to keep these creatures from it, the Blood Oath would not harm them because they would be doing it with the intention of protecting you. Another way to look at it is through the belief that that power, since Hank had harnessed it from hell, belongs to you as his heir. Either way, they can get Devilcraft as long as they believe they're doing it for you."

With a sinking feeling, I realized there was something they could do to reach the Devilcraft. I knew the Archangels would be quick to blame me if any of the Nephil members of the Black Hand's society reach the entrance of hell. What was worse is I now endangered Patch once again. He would be thrown to hell before I could even think of any way to stop it.

Patch's gentle touch brought me back from my fears. Despite the horrors in my mind, I was surprised to see his smile never left his face. "Don't worry."

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked, barely getting the words out.

"Because you warned them," he cupped my face in his palms. "You told them about the consequences of crossing Archangels. They know the power of fallen angels and they know someone like me, a fallen Archangel. They would actually think twice before doing something reckless. But just to make sure, I'll leave Pepper here to remind them how powerful Archangels actually are."

"I don't think they'd like that," I said apprehensively. "They're not feeling particularly friendly towards fallen angels, remember?"

He agreed. "I remember. But you do remember they tried tricking you. You seriously need to keep your subjects in check."

"What about Pepper?"

He shrugged. "He'll be okay with it. For some reason, he doesn't seem to bothered if he does things for you. Serving me is a whole different story, however."

"And Vee?"

"I trust Vee. But since we're leaving Pepper, we'll need Vee to come along now more than ever. I already fixed the plane tickets and I already picked the motel we're going to stay in when we get there. All we need to do is actually plan out what we're going to do there."

"You don't think sightseeing is on the agenda?" I allowed myself to smile. Maybe this was actually quite possible. At least, the certainty and motivation in his tone made me believe we'll get through this, even though it does seem impossible.

He chuckled softly. "We'd have to do without that. But I think it would be better if you call your mom. At least she would know where you are. I believe she's not going to come back here for Christmas?"

I shook my head. I haven't had the chance to talk to her yet. Maybe it's because I felt guilty I already planned on lying to her when I heard Basso say Forks, Washington. "So I can tell her I'm planning on checking out Seattle University during my Christmas break. Oh, she'll love that. She'll love to think I'm getting a good head start on this college thing."

"All right. I'll leave the talking to you."

The following day, after school, I dialed my mom's number from the library while checking out Seattle University's website. If I wanted to make this lie believable and without brainwashing her, I need to make every single detail convincing. I looked for any Open House dates or university tour dates. Unfortunately, all of their tours were in spring. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Nora," my mom answered a few rings later. "I'm sorry baby, I was fixing several artworks we're going to sell during the Christmas auction. The Holidays are so hectic, you wouldn't believe it. I mean, I never realized how many people actually want to buy antique things for gifts. I'm really sorry I can't be there for Christmas sweetie. But I already sent you your gift."

I smiled. "It's fine, mom, really. You really didn't have to get me anything."

"Oh, but I do. I feel so bad not spending Christmas with you. I hope you can spend a little bit of time with Vee so you wouldn't have to be completely alone."

"It's fine, mom," I repeated. "Vee promised I wouldn't have to be alone this Christmas. And you know once she promised it, she never really breaks it…most of the time."

I heard her chuckle on the other line. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Oh and Patch is back," I said quickly, figuring revealing one little truth would ease my conscience a bit before I lied big time.

"What?"

"Patch, he's back. So I might spend Christmas with him."

"Oh baby, I'd rather have you spend Christmas with Vee," I heard her pessimism on the other line already.

I sighed. "That's the thing mom. I am spending Christmas with Vee and Patch."

"Patch is invited to the Sky's household for Christmas too?"

I imagined Patch sitting with Vee's parents and her little brother at the table, eating mashed potatoes with them. Well, saying Patch would be out of place was a colossal understatement. He couldn't be more out of place than a Pepsi can surrounded by Coke bottles.

I inhaled sharply. I might as well get this over with. "No, mom. I was searching for good universities to apply to for English Literature majors and I stumbled across Seattle University. I mean, okay, it's really far away from Maine and all. And it's not one of the universities I'm considering the most but it sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. I was thinking of going there to check out what it has to offer."

"Seattle University? In Washington State? Do you really want to go there, Nora? I mean, Harvard has the best English Literature program and you're looking at Seattle University? We don't even know anyone in Seattle. Where are you going to stay? You won't have any place to stay. Besides, tours start in springtime and you'll be doing that next year on your senior year."

I sighed. This was the reaction I was expecting. I might as well bring out the big guns. "Okay, I understand mom. But Vee, Patch, and I had actually found dorms around the university so housing is not a problem." Hearing Patch's name with the word "dorm", I was sure she was about to protest big time. "And don't worry, the dorms for girls and boys would be separate buildings. There would also be councilors on every floor so we're guarded."

"But Seattle University? Oh! I know! Why don't you guys just visit NYU? It's a great university and you could stay here with me!"

"Yeah I was planning to but that's actually one of my plans for this spring. I want to explore different universities on my own, mom. I decided to visit the ones I was considering but not likely to go to and Seattle University is one of them. I just want to have multiples of plans just in case all of my plans for the Ivy League schools don't follow through." If I was really going to visit universities I'm actually not really thinking of going to, it would be the Ivy League schools. But then, if my mom heard that, she would drag me to New York with her before I could open my mouth to protest.

"How many days are you planning to stay?" she asked. Her tone was guarded as she thought it through.

"Just the whole winter break, so two weeks," I told her, calculating the days in my head. It was already the nineteenth and our school lets out the twenty-second. We were going to leave right after school.

She was silent for a few seconds. I held my breath in anticipation, hoping I wouldn't have to result to mind tricks just to go. I don't want to brainwash my mom but since not going to Washington was not an option, I would have to delay being a good daughter for a while. "All right, fine. But I still want you to call every hour or I am going to Washington, do you understand me?" her voice couldn't be firmer.

I smiled, feeling the nervousness lift off my shoulders as she bought my story. As if I didn't feel guilty enough, more of it crept through the back of my mind. I pushed them away. "All right mom."

By the time the twenty-second had come, the temperatures were at its all-time low. Since it was Christmas break, the school had decided to let out early. I was uncertain if we were going to be moving a lot so Patch advised us to keep everything light. A single check-in luggage and one hand-carry would be enough. I decided to put small toiletries, an extra outfit, and my computer on the hand-carry just in case my luggage gets lost. I was already packed by the time I got home and used the remaining time before we had to go to the airport to do extra homework.

I heard Vee carefully roll unto my driveway and met her by her car. She looked a bit annoyed as she pulled her luggage out of her car. "I cannot see why we had to have only two bags. Do you realize how many space my bag actually needs? This is so inconvenient!"

"Well, Patch did say that we need to be ready just in case we need to run as quickly as we could. I understand where he's coming from, Vee. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone knowing who we are by looking through our stuff," I told her, briefly placing her luggage down to the icy ground.

"Ugh, I hate it when you take his side. What about me?" she sneered. "Anyways, what time will he pick us up?"

I looked at my watch. Our plane leaves at one in the afternoon and it was already eleven. We need a couple of hours to check in and the drive to Portland takes about an hour. "He should be here any minute." As soon as I said it, Patch's black Jeep Commander slowed down in front of the house. He walked across the front yard in his steady gait. He was wearing a dark gray sweater and dark blue jeans. He had left his boots and was wearing a pair of simple black sneakers.

Within thirty minutes, we had loaded our luggage to his car and headed to the airport. The lines were already filled with people traveling for Christmas. I spotted a couple of people from our school but luckily, everyone was too busy trying to get into the right places to bother with pleasantries. The security check was long and slow but luckily, we passed through it without any problems. By lunchtime, we were checked in and seated by the gates, waiting to be boarded.

"I'll get us something to eat," Patch suggested after thirty minutes. I had a feeling he was getting a bit impatient. I was too, considering I never really left Maine but I was feeling mainly nervous. What exactly are we going to find in Forks, Washington? Vee was beside me, reading a copy of the Cosmopolitan magazine she bought at a stand near our gate. "Do you ladies want anything?"

"A donut would be really great right now," Vee told him, peeking at him through her magazine.

"Yeah, same for me," I added. He nodded and turned to go search for a Dunkin Donuts.

Once he was out of sight, Vee lowered her magazine and looked directly at me. "You know, when the others heard Pepper was going to guard them, none of them were pleased."

I nodded, remembering the argument I had with the other council members a few days ago when I announced Pepper was going to jump-start their training. Of course none of them believed me and knew Pepper was there to guard them. I feigned innocence, emphasizing the fact that I shouldn't have any reason to guard them. But my case with the council members was definitely not on the good side. Still, they did take a Blood Oath and if they refuse to fight with me, they are denying loyalty to me, meaning they would be breaking their oaths. We found a way to corner them.

"Are you okay with Pepper training them?" I asked Vee, wondering if she feels any sympathy for the others of our kind.

She shrugged. "I'm not in that bunch so I really wouldn't know how having someone like Pepper guarding me would be like. Though I understand the irony of the whole situation. But at the same time, if anyone attempted to harness Devilcraft, I would probably stop them too, for everyone's sake. My loyalty is with you and I agree wholeheartedly that no one should even think about harnessing that thing from hell."

I felt very appreciative of Vee right now. I knew her loyalty was solid and nothing would ever change that. "Thank you."

By five, we landed in Seattle just in time to catch the five-thirty flight to Port Angeles. Unlike the plane to Seattle, the plane to Port Angeles was extremely small, seating only about sixty-five people. When we landed in Port Angeles, it was cold, dark, and damp. I was already missing the misty, salty air of Coldwater, even the relentless fog that hang around my front yard seemed reasonably friendly at this moment. Patch rented a black Rav4 from a small dealership beside the airport and drove an hour down to Forks.

The complete change in scenery was unnerving. Coldwater is a decent-sized town but compared to Forks, it looks completely like a city. Main businesses, even Forks High School were all in the main road, completely accessible. Every road, building, house, and even signs were surrounded by endless forest, which in winter looks dead and haunting. The ground was still wet with patches of black ice, though that didn't bother Patch's driving at all. We parked in front of a mangy motel with only about ten rooms. There was no one in the parking lot besides us.

Without turning off the engine, Patch got off the car and headed towards the main office. Vee was sleeping at the back so I had no one to talk to. Deciding to stretch outside after several hours of travel, I stepped out to the cold air and observed the scenery around me even more. The gravel on the ground crumbled beneath my weight as I walked around. I stared steadily in front of me, towards the thick forest, wondering if there was some kind of clearing inside. That was when I saw something whip by fast. I blinked, wondering what it could be. An ominous feeling settled inside me.

"Nora?" Patch's voice made me jump. He stood behind me, looking concerned and confused. "What is it?"

I glanced towards the forest again, trying hard to figure out what I had seen. But maybe fatigue was getting to me and I was starting to see things. "Nothing," I muttered as I went over to the back of the Rav4 to get my stuff. I opened the trunk and pulled out my bags.

Patch stared at me for a second longer before pressing a card key on my hand. "You and Vee will be sharing one room. I figured she would be extremely uncomfortable with a guy in the same room."

I almost chuckled. "Vee uncomfortable around guys?"

He shrugged. "Well, just for decency's case. You guys got room number five and I'm in number four." He looked at me intensely I could almost feel the temperature rise up a bit. "If you notice or need anything, don't hesitate to knock, all right?"

I nodded.

"Very well, let's get Vee out of the car and we can all rest. Tomorrow we'll start planning."

I followed Vee and Patch towards the rooms, dragging my luggage behind me. I looked back just to check on the car when I felt like something was watching me from the forest. I looked around but saw nothing. Still, the feeling didn't go away until I was inside the room.

The following morning, Patch woke us up around six, bringing our breakfast of eggs and sausages with coffee. As we ate, he drew out the plan he had formulated overnight. He settled down on my bed, running his fingers through his hair.

"We have to start somewhere," he said, refusing to eat himself. "I'm going to the local high school to check for anything out of the ordinary but I doubt there will be anything. I want you to lay low, hike around the forest, and tour around the town. If you hear anything, give me a call right away."

"Why can't we come with you?" Vee asked. "There's nothing to see here in Forks. We might actually hear something in places like the high school."

He shook his head. "I'm going to go through the school records and I will erase a lot of memories. I'm going through each person's past here in Forks and see if there are any anomalies." He smiled teasingly at Vee. "And I thought you loved snooping and sleuthing around?"

"I do but what would we hear or see when we're going through the town?"

"Gossip," he replied to her simply. "You can learn a lot about the people of a town through the things its citizen say about each other. It's not going to be hard, just keep your ears open."

"And the hiking?" I asked.

"Just for the landscape's sake. If there's going to be a fight here, we need to know how to deal with the environment and use it for our advantage. The creatures know Forks and the surrounding areas and we need to make sure they're not going to be able to use that against us."

Vee's eyes traveled to me and then uncertainly to Patch. Noticing, Patch rose his eyebrows. "What is it Vee?"

"Well…About the hiking…"

"What is it?" I asked, frowning. She's going to train the other Nephils when we get back home so knowing the landscape should be a part of the training.

"I don't have any hiking shoes," she shrugged.

"Vee, you don't need a sophisticated pair of hiking shoes. Sturdy boots would do or even sneakers," I told her.

"Yeah, well tell me if I have brought a sturdy pair of boots or sneakers," she retorted, waving towards her luggage. That was when I saw the three pair of boots she had brought along. Two of them were knee high and one was ankle high. But all of them had three inches of heels.

"You're kidding me, Vee."

She brought her hands up innocently. "In my defense, I didn't know we would be hiking. I figured it's Christmas and we would be celebrating. Besides, I don't have any other boots with heels lower than three inches."

"Yeah but you should have expected we would be fighting, didn't you?"

"It's fine, Vee," Patch spoke up before she could open her mouth to argue. This town isn't completely empty of shops. You can drive around and look for an outdoor equipment shop." He handed me a sleek black credit card.

"Well I would have wanted to use your money on some real shopping but in a town like this, I guess shopping for hiking gear is the best you can do," Vee sighed, staring at the black card I was placing away in my wallet.

"Take the Rav4 with you," Patch instructed a few moments later. "It'll stick out on the student parking lot and it can increase the number of people I have to give amnesia to."

"All right. If we're going to start hiking, we'll just leave the car here," I nodded, automatically staring towards the parking lot and at the Rav4.

"Okay. We'll meet here at six. If I'm not back by then, go immediately to Seattle. If you're not here by then, I will come look for you." He bent down to kiss me, cupping his palm against my neck. His lips met mine, brief and gentle yet the electricity was there. He pushed back hair from my face and tucked it beneath my ear. "I'll see you later, Angel. Don't forget to call anytime. Keep your phones near." He headed towards the door and exited.

We spent the morning driving around town, looking for an outdoor equipment shop which to my annoyance, there was none, at least none that served our purpose. We went to a shop filled to the brim with hunting knives and large guns but no boots or water bottles. We went to a smaller stand where they only sold books about the plant life and animals of the area and maps. We bought a couple of them to use in reference. But nothing else was available.

"We can always drive up to Seattle," Vee suggested a few hours later as we entered a souvenir shop with dead deer heads perched on wooden placards like trophies. I grimaced as I looked at each dead and stuffed animal. Well there goes my appetite.

"I don't think we should go to Seattle," I told Vee as I headed out the door as fast as my feet could take me. From behind, I heard the cashier snicker at my reaction. I would have come back and made sure he didn't see me as a coward but I was too disgusted to even think about turning back around.

"Why not?" she demanded, following me to the car.

"We need to get information, remember?"

We went around some of the back roads, passing by several houses. The good thing about a small town like Forks is that you can always find your way back to the main road. We were never lost. After a few minutes of driving around, we saw a decent looking sporting goods store. I parked the Rav4 in one of the three parking lots.

Vee looked at me as if I got a bug on my face. "You're kidding right? We're looking for boots and hiking gear not jerseys."

"It's the closest we'll ever get to hiking gear. I mean, you can buy a pair of sneakers and they may even have sweatpants. They'll have water bottles and backpacks and we're good to go."

A small bell chimed when we opened the door of the shop. The guy by the counter looked up at his new customers and smiled pleasantly.

"Hi, can I help you with anything?" he asked politely, looking at me then Vee. He was good looking, about three or four years older than I am, with a cute baby face and light blonde hair handsomely cut. I would have guessed he lived in California rather than Forks.

I shook my head, spotting their display of running shoes at the back wall. "We're just looking, thank you."

I looked back at Vee, who was giving the place a condescending eye, and pointed at the shoe rack at the back of the store. She sighed and heavily stomped towards them. I stalked several aisles looking for anything that we might need. I spotted a couple of backpacks that would be useful. They didn't have ready water bottles but they did have several colorful tumblers and I decided we can fill them with water at the nearest food chain.

"So," the guy in the counter began, his eyes following me through the first two aisles. "I haven't seen you guys around here. You guys new?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He stood up suddenly and waved his arms comically. "Well then, on behalf of all the citizens, all three-hundred something of us, I welcome you to the small, sleepy, humble town of Forks, the rainiest place in the United States," he declared loudly, showing his perfect white teeth.

I gave him a small chuckle. "Thanks."

That encouraged him as he settled down, his smile widening even further. "So, are you girls staying for good or just visiting?"

I didn't like this. We haven't found anything about the creatures yet and one of the citizens are already curious about us. Small towns. "No, just visiting," I said vaguely.

"Well," he said slowly, clearly trying to decipher my tone and words. "What's the big attraction?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, what made you visit Forks? It's not that great, you know."

I smiled vaguely, attempting to hide my annoyance. I moved on to an aisle a bit farther back, choosing to ignore his question. Wondering if I'm putting myself as suspicious and if I should have said something, the bell rang again and a group of early-twenties adults came in. I made myself unseen, joining Vee at the back.

"Oh, Mike!" I heard a girl squeaked as soon as they saw him. "Angela has great news!"

"Hey, what color do you like better?" Vee asked me, weighing two sneakers at her hands. One was a dark blue while the other was black lined with red. I chose the dark blue, trying hard to ignore the loud group at the counter.

"Excuse me," she called to the counter.

I heard the cashier excuse himself to his friends and approached us. When he reached us, he smiled pleasantly again. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, do you guys have this in size 9?" Vee asked, pointing to the sneakers in her hand.

"Hang on, I'll go check." The boy took the shoe from Vee's hand and entered a door with the sign "Personnel Only".

I walk aimlessly through the back counters while waiting, looking at different souvenirs from different teams.

"I didn't know Mike has customers right now. Do you think we're bothering him?" a shy voice spoke out uncertainly. "Maybe we should come back later after his work."

"Oh come on, Ang," one of the guys assured her. "It's yours and Ben's big announcement. I think Mike should hear this as soon as possible, don't you?"

"I guess so. What about Bella?"

Someone scoffed and I heard the squeaker's voice again. "She's in Alaska with her husband. They're probably too busy with their oh-so-beautiful brothers and sisters. If they weren't, Bella would have shown herself here in Forks by now. Besides, now that she's a part of the Cullens, what makes you think she'd want to hang with us normal people?"

"We could try and call her," the shy voice suggested earnestly. She sighed and added firmly, "Bella isn't like that, by the way. I know she'd want to hear this. I think she'll be here for the wedding if we ask her to."

"Come on, Angela, be realistic."

"Five bucks says Bella won't come here for your wedding, Angela," a sneering voice spoke out loudly. "I don't even know why she's still considered in our group. She's having fun with the Cullens so let her be. We don't need her."

"Here you go," the cashier, I guess the one they call Mike, handed Vee a brown Nike box. She opened it and examined the shoes before sitting down at one of the stools and trying them on.

When she seemed satisfied, she looked up at Mike while taking the shoes off and putting them back inside the box. "Yeah, this would do." She handed the box to Mike who returned to his post to ring all our purchases.

I followed him with Vee at my heels to the front. His friends were all gathered there. I immediately noticed the tall dark-haired girl smiling from ear to ear, busy chatting with the others. Beside her was a petite dark curly haired girl, examining the tall girl's finger where I noticed was jeweled with a simple gold band. To the right of the girl was a tall dark oil slick haired boy with the worst complexion I have ever seen. The other girl gawking at the tall girl's ring had silver blonde hair. I guessed she was the sneering voice I heard earlier because her face seemed to be frozen like that.

"Hey Mike," the curly haired girl looked up as soon as Mike returned to his post. She was the squeaker. She shoved the tall girl's hand towards him to show the ring. "Angela got engaged!"

Mike's face broke out into a sincere smile, not the one he plasters on for us because we were customers. "Oh, Ang! Congratulations!"

The tall girl smiled shyly. "Thanks Mike," she muttered quietly.

"Are you going to be done soon?" the tall oily haired boy asked him.

"Yeah, just going to finish up with their purchases and I'll go with you guys for a lunch break."

As if on cue, I placed the two backpacks and the two water tumblers I took from the shelf. Mike gave me a smile but I didn't acknowledge it, pretending to look away to search for my wallet inside my bag.

"So you haven't answered me," Mike spoke again a few minutes later as he gathered all our items together in neat piles. I had a feeling he was stalling a bit for the chance to chat.

"What was the question again?"

He gave Vee the same smile. "What are two pretty young girls doing at such a small, dreary town like Forks?"

"Hiking," Vee answered shortly, not bothering to look up as she examined her nails.

"Oh, well no offense, you guys don't look like much of hikers, at least not with those shoes on," he replied, nodding towards Vee's heeled boots. The others had gone quiet, watching Mike's efforts to befriend us. I felt their eyes on me, the guys were curious about us while the girls were examining us with disdain.

Vee's infamous scowl was on her face. I could almost hear her growl inside her head. "Live life to the fullest, right? Besides, you don't know us enough. You should be thankful we're here buying stuff from you."

_"Vee,"_ I warned her in mind speak. _"Be nice to locals. They might know something."_

_ "He's hitting on you and it's annoying me, greatly,"_ she was still scowling.

_"I know. But we don't want to have any unnecessary attention. We need to keep our heads low."_

"Hey, no need to be rude," the squeaker said, coming to Mike's defense. They were all looking at us, throwing dirty glances. Well maybe the shy girl looked disappointed while the sneering girl's facial expression didn't change a bit.

"Sorry," I mouthed, looking apologetically at Mike. I looked desperately around for anything that would change the topic. "So you guys know any good hiking spots?"

This did it. The others returned to the tall girl, still glaring at us as they did so but otherwise ignored us. Mike on the other hand returned to finishing up our purchases. When he spoke, his voice was a bit uncertain and a little cold.

"You have to check with Police Chief Swan at the police station for that. You'll need to register too. Just standard procedures. They'd want to keep track of who's going into the woods for safety reasons."

I nodded, though I doubt this Police Chief Swan's help would make any difference if we do ever encounter something in the woods.

Another awkward silence engulfed us as I handed Patch's credit card to him. The others were watching us again while Vee looked bored out of her mind. That was when I saw the pictures hanging on the wall behind Mike. One picture caught my eye and familiarity hit me as I examined the girl in the picture. She had long brown hair and her lower lip was thicker than her upper one. But instead of gold eyes, her eyes were a warm chocolate brown. She looked exactly like the girl I saw at Enzo's.

"Hey, I've seen her before," I said, unconsciously, pointing at the picture. "Is she a model? She was at our town a few months ago. Was she shooting for something?"

Everyone, including Vee, looked at the picture I was pointing to. But when I glanced at Mike's friends, they were all looking at me like I was crazy.

"She's not a model," the sneering girl said. "That's Isabella Swan Cullen or Bella. She lives with her husband, Edward, in Alaska."

I blinked, realizing I had grabbed their attention unknowingly. "Oh," I muttered.

"Well, maybe she did go to…where did you say you came from again?" the shy, tall girl asked.

"Oh, well maybe I just saw someone who looked like her," I said, swerving over the question again.

The sneering girl and the curly haired girl looked at me with contempt. "Yeah, probably," the sneering girl said with a flick of her hair. "She's not nearly pretty enough to be a model."

I looked back at the girl in the picture and disagreed inside my mind. She was pretty enough to be a model, at least in Maine. But I knew I grabbed their attention and I was certain they would talk about us once we left. This is the exact opposite of keeping our heads down. I wondered if I can erase their memories. But I don't want to put any lasting impression on any of them just in case these creatures can detect any unnatural beings. Mike handed the credit card back to me and handed three plastic bags with our purchases to me.

"Thank you," I muttered, placing the credit card back to my bag. I just wanted to get out of there.

"Hey, if you guys wanted to grab lunch with us, you can come," Mike suggested as we headed towards the door, past his friends. At his invitation, the petite curly haired girl scowled again. Obviously she didn't think much of any girl Mike would date. She probably is attracted to him.

"No can do," Vee said in a mocking tone. "Her boyfriend is meeting with us later on. Sorry, bub."

Mike's face fell while the squeaker's face lit up. I opened the door with Vee, letting it close by itself once we were out but not before I heard the sneering girl said, "What's their deal? They're not even that pretty to be acting so snobbishly."

"Do you think once we find your evil half sister we can dump her here?" Vee asked as we got inside the car. "I'm telling you, she and her evil little posse can fit right in there with those girls. Can you believe them?"

I backed out of the parking lot and entered the road smoothly. "I guess you'll meet Marcies everywhere you go, even in a little town like Forks."

It was already noon and Vee was beginning to whine for food. Knowing we need to have energy for the hike, I agreed to stop by at a small diner just off the main road. I parked the car and headed inside, dialing Patch's number.

"Hey, where are you? Do you want to eat?" I asked as soon as he picked up.

"You go ahead. Have you found out anything?"

I hesitated, unsure if I should say something about the girl in the picture and the possibility she was the same girl I saw at Enzo's that one day. It was only after we left the store that I remember when I passed the girl's table as I ordered my chicken wrap that day. I knew she was definitely not human. But it couldn't have been the same girl in the picture at Mike's store. She looked…normal, unlike the girl at Enzo's. I chose not to mention it.

"Well, unless you want to know that a local girl is getting married, then nothing."

"Is the girl human?"

"Yeah, positive. No weird aura or anything."

I heard him sigh in the other line. "I guess we're hitting dead ends."

"I guess so."

"What else are you going to do now?"

I followed Vee at an empty table, picking up their menus. "Well the cashier at the local sporting goods store told us to go to the police station to register for hiking. I guess it's just for security reasons. They'd want to know who's out there just in case something happens."

"Do it. Since a local already suggested it, it would be less conspicuous if we followed their rules."

"All right," I agreed.

"I need to go, Angel. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

After lunch, I parked the car in front of the police station. Unlike the high school and most of the buildings here in Forks, the police station wasn't in the main road. We had to take several detours, a few blocks away from the high school. There were five police cruisers and one police van parked in their parking lot. Compared to Forks, Coldwater has two police stations with three times the number of police cruisers and three vans were divided between them.

I entered the station with Vee. There were ten police officers on duty in their desks. A railed door stood at the back and I figured that's where they kept the criminals they find here in Forks, if there were any.

A police officer looked up from the lobby desk. "Can I help you ladies?"

I glanced at Vee briefly, feeling the butterflies. I felt like I was already doing something illegal, even though technically we're just investigating about supernatural human beings.

"We went to the local sporting goods shop and we were told to register here if we want to go hiking around the area." I muttered the words like it was a question.

"Yes, of course. It's advisable for any visitors to sign up here just in case," the officer said, standing up and opening the small barrier that separated the main lobby and the officers' desks.

He led us inside, past several desks. "We learned to take care of our visitors. Several years ago, several hikers had gone missing from Seattle and Port Angeles. We worked hard to find these people but we never found anything. Until now, we're still trying to figure out what happened to them but we did learn to keep a better eye on our visiting hikers."

Vee looked at me knowingly but we remained silent. We both know these killings must be because of the creatures that are now attempting to harness Devilcraft from hell.

"Just out of curiosity," I began slowly, wondering about these creatures' power. "How many people had gone missing then?"

The police officer looked at me curiously. "Well, we estimated that at least thirty or thirty-five people had gone missing from the surrounding areas, including visitors from out of state and that's the only one reported here in our police station. Who knows how many people had actually gone missing we don't know about."

My stomach dropped. How strong were these things? Can the Nephil race actually face these things? If they can take God knows how many people, can we take them?

The police officer led us to the only office in the small station. The door with the name "Police Chief Charlie Swan" painted on the surface was open. The officer knocked briefly against the door and stepped inside.

"Chief Swan, there are a couple of hikers here that wants to register," he said, waving towards us. He stepped aside to let us in before heading out himself.

"Good afternoon," the man behind the desk said, standing up. He was about my mom's age with brown hair and a moustache. His eyes were a soft chocolate brown and he stood around at least five feet and eleven inches. He was relatively lean. He was clearly fit when he was younger but it was clear he enjoyed a couple of beers now.

"I am Police Chief Swan," he said steadily, shaking our hands. "Please sit down." He waved towards two chairs in front of his desk before he settled down back behind his desk.

"I'll need your IDs," he asked us as he typed something on his computer. I turned to Vee. I wasn't comfortable revealing our identities to Chief Swan but what choice do we have? I fished out my driver's license and waited for Vee's. I gathered both of them and slid it over the desk. He picked up my license and studied it.

"So, Coldwater, Maine huh? You two traveled really far," he commented.

I nodded but was unsure what to say.

When he didn't receive any response he continued. "I guess there aren't a lot of hiking spots in Maine?"

I shrugged. "Not really. It's a complete change of scenery here. I mean, there are more trees while Maine is just surrounded by the ocean."

Swan nodded. "I guess you're right. Well, is it only the two of you?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should mention Patch. But I decided it's better if we kept his identity a secret. With Patch's plan to erase the memories of those who do see him, he would be basically invisible and I had a feeling he wanted to keep it that way. "Yeah, it's just the two of us."

He typed a couple more sentences before looking up again. "So, where are you two staying?"

"Pacific Inn Motel," Vee answered. "Just off the main road."

"Ah yes," he said, typing several things in again. After a few seconds, he looked up. "All right, I'll be right back. I'll just scan your IDs in our system and you two will be good to go." He excused himself and headed out of his office.

"Why didn't you include Patch?" Vee whispered when he was out of earshot.

"Because I don't think he wants anyone knowing he's here," I answered, looking around the small office. It was neat with ancient files of cabinets pushed along the frosted glass wall. The computer was the only 21st century thing in his cabinet. If it wasn't there, I would have thought I stepped back in time. Mindlessly, I picked up one of the picture frames facing his desk and I froze. The young woman smiling at me was the same woman in the picture at Mike's store. Then I remembered the name his friends mentioned. Bella. So she's Bella Swan Cullen. I realized she had the same brown eyes as Officer Chief Swan so she must be his daughter.

I picked up another frame and felt my stomach drop as I saw the people looking up at me. It was Bella with a young man about my age and a beautiful young girl, about six or seven years old. But unlike the picture from the previous frame and the picture in Mike's shop, Bella looked a lot different. She still had the same long brown locks and the same thick lower lip. But her eyes were golden and her skin was as white as marble. She was the girl I saw at Enzo's, the model who had that strange power I felt buzzing from her. In her hand was the same ring I saw that day.

I examined the man who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He had the same golden eyes and the same pale complexion. He had reddish brown hair and a tall, lean muscular built. He was smiling crookedly. Like Bella beside her, he was absolutely breathtaking. They reminded me of Greek gods and goddesses marble statues.

On the other hand, the young girl, though absolutely beautiful, looked normal enough. She was pale but actually looked like she had more color than the two adults standing around her. She had the same brown chocolate eyes and long brown hair as Bella in the last frame.

I placed the frame back to its place, deeply troubled. I didn't understand any of it. Who was Isabella Swan Cullen and what did she want from me? I was certain the brown-eyed, brown-haired girl in the previous frame and the gold-eyed brunette was both Isabella Swan. There were too many similarities to deny it. But what did it mean?

Before I could sort it all out to tell Vee, Chief Swan entered his office again and sat back down behind his desk. He started clicking on his computer.

"We'll just wait for the pictures to upload and I'll let you go," he explained, clicking away.

A knock came from behind us, making him look up. His eyes lit up and he smiled. "Seth!"

I froze as I heard the name and I wasn't the only one. Vee glanced at me hurriedly before we both turned slowly around.

Standing behind us, holding a plastic bag on his hand, his eyes wide, was Seth Clearwater.

Nothing was coincidence.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Officer Swan stood up from his chair and approached Seth welcomingly. "What are you doing here?"

"Mom wanted to give you this," Seth told him, his eyes still on us as he lifted the bag in his hand. "It's your lunch."

Officer Swan took the bag from him and examined the contents. "Oh wonderful. Tell her I said thanks."

"Uh-huh. What are they doing here, Charlie?"

Officer Swan's eyes wandered from Seth, who was still looking at us, to me who was now glaring at him. Now I know Seth may not have anything to do with Lisa but seeing him here in Forks means he is somehow connected to the unknown creatures that wants to harness Devilcraft.

Officer Swan cleared his throat, sensing the tension. "They're tourists." Then a smile formed from behind his moustache and I heard him whisper, "I know they're both cute. Do you want me to introduce you?"

"Charlie," Seth began but Officer Swan cut him off.

"Ladies, this is my stepson, Seth Clearwater," he declared proudly as he clapped his palm on Seth's shoulder, stepping aside for Seth to shake our hands but none of us moved.

I flicked my eyes towards Officer Swan. "Can we have our licenses back? Our time here is pretty limited."

His face fell a bit, disappointment and confusion mixing together. "All right." He approached the desk and handed our licenses back. I realized I was already standing up so I just grabbed my purse from our seat and headed out, making sure I bumped my shoulder against Seth.

"What's going on?" I heard Officer Swan ask Seth once he thought we were out of earshot. "I wonder what's wrong with those two. They looked like they saw a ghost."

As soon as we got out of the police station, I tugged my phone out of the pocket of my jeans and dialed Patch's number. He answered instantly.

"Seth is here," I said, hurriedly opening the door. Vee ran to the passenger's seat and got inside just as I did.

"What?"

"Seth Clearwater. He's here. I just saw him. He knows the officer chief of this town. He's in it. He and his gang are somehow involved with the creatures," I was talking very fast while I jammed the keys in the ignition.

"All right. Change of plans. Leave the car at the motel and go straight to the woods in the front. I'll meet you there. Bring water and food. We'll start studying the landscape and I'll call Pepper to get the Nephils ready."

"They won't be here on time," I realized, my heart sinking.

"Diplomacy first, Nora. If these things can't be talked to reasonably, then we'll bring in the Nephils and it will be war."

I hung up and was about to put the car on reverse. I was in the road after a few seconds.

The sun had lowered considerably over the horizon when we parked the Rav4 in the motel's parking lot. I got out of the car, dragging the backpacks with me. They were already filled with food, water, some extra clothes, and several blankets. We still haven't found any outdoor equipment store close enough so we decided to just use whatever it is nature can provided as our shelter.

"What about Patch?" Vee asked as we crossed the road to the trees. She pulled up the straps of her backpack containing her own set of food, clothes, water, and blankets.

I breathed a bit heavier than I usually do, quickening my pace. "He's going to meet us in the woods."

"How will he find us?" Vee huffed behind me.

"I don't know," I admitted, stepping over several big branches. "But that's the thing with Patch, he can always find me wherever I am." I looked down at the black puffy snow jacket I was wearing. It didn't have a tracking device on it but I was certain he could still find us.

We traveled west for a few more miles, only stopping once to eat snacks and drink some water. As we got deeper into the woods, the trees became more close together until barely enough sunlight seeped through between the leaves. Plant life grew everywhere and the floor was littered with plants and small rotting forest life.

I heard the gentle flow of running water from a distance, the first real landmark that wasn't leaves or roots or some more trees. I looked over as far as I could see it and saw something but Vee was the first to say it out loud.

"Look, a clearing. We can rest there," she pointed at the direction I was staring at.

With her trudging by me, I pushed on towards the clearing. I stepped into it and entered into a meadow. I turned to Vee as she rustled behind me to catch up.

"I think we should camp here. It would be easier for Patch to find us if we tell him we're near a meadow."

Because there were no trees in the meadow itself, we decided to stay at the edge, using the trees' leaves as our roof. I gently spread a couple of our blankets on the ground for us to lay on. Despite the cold weather, I felt a little warm because of the exertion to get here. I took off my black ski jacket, revealing my blue sweater underneath.

Vee took her jacket as well and settled down on her blanket. "So what do we know so far?"

"Seth definitely has something to do with the creatures that want the Devilcraft. I wouldn't put it past him to be one of those creatures," I told her, massaging my temples. "We know he isn't human and his presence here cannot be coincidence."

I was silent for a few seconds as the anomaly came to me. "But he never asked me about Devilcraft. He was more interested in Patch than me."

"Well you didn't know him well. He was in our lives in just a short period of time," Vee reasoned, shrugging. "Maybe he was just warming up to you so you could spill everything you know about Devilcraft but things just didn't pan out well for him. Remember what Patch said when he searched for Seth's records at our school? He went through a lot of trouble just to get in and get close to you but he was out of there quick once he realized you were onto him. Maybe he wanted to know about Patch because he's as involved in this as you are."

"So it's likely Seth is involved," I said slowly, looking at our facts and our assumptions.

Vee nodded.

I bit my tongue as I thought of another coincidence that had bothered me so much. I was uncertain if I should even mention the mysterious Isabella Swan Cullen to Vee or Patch because I just wasn't sure what to make of her. But when I saw her pictures here in Forks, I know she must be one of the shadows lurking behind me that Patch talked about. It was too much of a coincidence to see her in Coldwater, feel that weird buzz around her, and see her again here in Forks. "Vee, do you remember when we were at Enzo's?"

She took a pack of graham crackers out of her bag. "Which time?"

"The time when this girl walked in and we thought she was a model?"

I gave Vee a few seconds as she recalled the incident. When she did, her eyebrow went up in confusion. "Where are you getting at?"

I explained to her what happened at Enzo's when I passed by her table and her sudden disappearance afterwards. Then I told her about the pictures at Mike's store and at Officer Chief Swan's desk. Then I told her about Patch's experience the last night of Cheshvan after Patch had dropped me off the farmhouse.

"So, you think she has something to do with this?" she asked me, slowly.

"Yes. I mean, what's the probability that strangers that are suddenly in our lives can be found in the same place where there are creatures interested in Devilcraft?"

"You're right. So what they really want is you."

My heart sank. She was right. They do want me. They have been targeting me, trying to get close to me. What if this Isabella woman and Seth are the creatures that Patch had chased after that night? So they're targeting me to get the Devilcraft because they think I have it or know a way to get it.

I stopped breathing as I realized something. "Seth and this Isabella woman aren't alone. If the Archangels were right, they have allies. They have allies from different creatures." I could finally see why the Archangels assigned us this mission. I could definitely see the hell in this.

Vee shivered as a cold wind passed us by. "So there is something waiting for us, then. We are going to have to fight."

"We need to talk to them diplomatically first," I told her, not really looking forward to another war especially when I just got out of one.

She nodded slowly. "You're right. Maybe these things can be reasoned with."

She stood up suddenly, brushing her jeans with her hands. I glanced up at her, confused as she headed towards the forest. "Where are you going?"

"We need firewood. It's getting cold. I know we're immortal and all but I think freezing is not a trip in the park," she answered stepping over her things. She stopped for a second, her face deep in thought.

"What is it Vee?"

"Well…you think the girl at Enzo's and the girl in the picture at Mike's store are the same but they look so different. Do you really think they're the same?"

"Yes," I said firmly. "She looks similar but different. I don't know how to explain it. It's like… she was a normal girl a long time ago but then she became…extraordinary."

Vee sighed heavily. "None of this makes sense."

"Tell me about it."

She headed off to the forest and I was left by myself at the edge of the meadow with my thoughts. It turned to the man and the young girl Isabella was with in one of the pictures. The man had the same complexion and eye color as her. He looked human enough but like Isabella, he was too extraordinary to be one. So he must be one of Isabella's kind, whatever they are. But what about the little girl? She was unnaturally beautiful but I could see the blush in her cheeks and the warmth in her smile. I massaged my temples again as I tried to connect Seth, Isabella, the man, and the little girl.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden rustle of trees about thirty yards in front of me. I stood up, wondering what the noise could be. A second later, I watched, surprised, as a mountain lion went sailing up in the air. I heard hoots and voices of people from where the mountain lion was thrown out.

Then I felt the air grow colder. I saw three people step out of the clearing, two women and one man, surrounding the mountain lion. One of the women was blonde and the other was dark haired while the man they were with was tall and muscular. I would have shouted at them to warn them about mountain lions when what I saw next astounded me. The dark-haired woman jumped elegantly on the pouncing mountain lion and landed gracefully on its neck. She bent down and with a sickening crunch, twisted its neck. It hung limply in her hands.

"I claim this one," I heard the dark-haired woman say as she hopped off the dead animal.

"Oh come on, I threw him in the air," the man protested.

"That's not how you hunt mountain lions, Emmett," the dark-haired woman told him. "You have to do it gracefully."

"This is why I don't like mountain lions," the man retorted turning towards the forest again.

"Come on, Emmett, let's get you a bear," the blonde woman giggled, tugging at the man's arms.

He wrapped his huge arms around the girl. "Now I like the sound of that. Maybe I can wake one up from its sleep. Cranky bears are always fun."

"Hey don't forget Jake wants to talk to us all later," the dark haired girl called after them.

They were the creatures.

"VEE!" I screamed out loud and in mind speak as I realized they were the enemies and they definitely had the numbers.

The creatures froze as they heard my voice. They slowly turned to my direction, surprised.

"A human?!" I heard the blonde say, stunned.

"No," the dark-haired girl said, staring at me with wide eyes. "It's her."

Before I knew it, the blonde had run in a breath taking speed. Her face was snarled as she pounced on me. I felt the back of my head collided with the tree behind me. My vision swam and I lost footing. I fell to the ground, face first, my whole back side throbbing. I tasted the blood in my mouth. I tried to get up, commanding my arms to support my weight but a foot had come crashing down on me, forcing me back down.

"Rosalie!" I heard the man's voice shout over to us. "What did you do?"

A hand had flipped me over with force that I flipped on mid-air twice. I landed with a firm thud on the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs. "So this is the one with the dangerous weapon? I see why she'd want to use it. She's pretty weak."

I saw her bend down to look at me. She was fearfully beautiful with her wavy blonde locks falling to my face like waterfall. She studied me closely with black eyes, a cruel grin taking over her face. She touched my cheek. I was unsure if this was because I was in so much pain that my senses were cloudy but her fingers were as cold and hard as marble. "What if I break her neck?"

"That would be a horrible idea if you don't want a war in your hands," Vee's voice floated from behind me. The woman looked up just as Vee pushed her hard off me, hard enough to send her flying somewhere. She helped me up, leaning me against a tree to catch my breath.

"Stay here," Vee said, turning just as the blonde came back with vengeance in her eyes.

I saw the blonde's companions running towards the two. Feeling better enough to stand on my feet, I let go of the tree and ran to meet them. I focused on the dark-haired girl, bringing my fist as far back as I could to gain momentum. When I was near enough, I shoved my fist to her stomach hard. I watch her fly a few yards, her long brunette hair flowing all over her face.

"Bella!" I heard the man scream behind me just as the woman flipped her hair to her back.

I recognized the eyes and the slender built. "You," I hissed, crouching low. But before I could attack, I took a hit at the side of my head, making me fly up again. I landed on my feet perfectly and saw the man up close.

Like his companions, he was amazingly beautiful with curly hair and dimpled cheeks. He too was pale and had midnight eyes. He was barely older than I was. He was tall and extremely muscular even up close. He charged towards me but I was already a step ahead. I invaded his mind, surprised at the coldness inside. His defenses were intimidating and as sturdy as granite but I found a crack and watched as his defenses crumbled down. He stopped in his tracks, his face gone blank.

_"Turn around,"_ I commanded him in mind speak. Then I switched the image of the blonde they came with Vee. His head turned sharply towards their direction. _"Attack."_

The man ran to the direction of the others, attacking the blonde woman they came with. I returned my attention towards the brunette who was crouched low as well. Reading her attack in her eyes before she acted it out, I jumped into the air to meet her. Despite her speed, adrenaline slowed everything down. I saw her outstretched fist reaching for my face and I met it with my palm. I turned my body the other way, meaning to hit her face with my elbow but she countered with a kick on my lower leg. My knee buckled, forcing me to my other knee. She took that moment to swing another one on me but I ducked in time. When I saw her arm pass over my head, I firmly planted my fists in her stomach and watch her hover on the ground for a few seconds before she landed.

I took that opportunity to charge, putting my weight over her so she wouldn't be able to move. Using Vee's move to immobilize me, I crushed my knees on her leg and forced her arms down with my hands.

"What do you want from me?!" I screamed as she struggled under my weight. "What were you doing at Coldwater?!" With reckless abandon, I forced myself inside her mind but found a hard diamond wall. It was impossible to see inside because of the fractures and the lights reflecting off it.

I felt the tug on my collar a few seconds before I smacked on the ground again. Cold hands were in my throat, cutting off any air. The circulation to my legs were cut off by the man sitting on my stomach. I tried to pry the stone fingers off my neck but to no avail. Red dots popped in the back of my head and I knew I was going to pass out.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on Bella," the silent, venomous voice was far away but I could see the golden eyes, the scowling mouth, and the angular angelic face distorted in anger. "You are not going to hurt anyone in my family with your evil weapon."

"Let go of her neck before I break yours," another voice said in a distance. The boy looked up just before a dash of black pushed him away. I felt my airways loosen and I gasped, chocking at the sudden intake of oxygen.

"Angel, are you okay?" Patch asked, worriedly as he hurried to my side, helping me stand up.

"I'm fine," I said, forcing my sight to stop spinning but I held on to his arm a little longer. I looked for my strangler and Bella. They were in the distance with the boy rushing to his feet and Bella helping him up.

Patch readied himself as the boy pounced. I ran myself as Bella sprinted across the meadow, her hands ready to attack.

"Break them!" I heard Patch say just as he grabbed the boy's arm and hurled him away. The boy countered by athletically crouching in midair, planting his feet on Patch's chest before pushing him away.

I ducked as Bella reached for my head. I wasn't sure what Patch meant by break them but as Bella passed me by, I grabbed for her head and smacked her forward. She rolled away as I planted a fist on the ground before kicking my back. I got up quickly just as she got to her feet as well.

"Bella! Something's wrong with Emmett! Protect us!" Patch's opponent called over just as he planted a solid jab to Patch's jaw. Unfaltering, Patch returned the jab as well.

In the distance, I saw the muscular guy stop in his tracks just as he grabbed the blonde screaming at him while Vee watched grinning at the back. When the man saw he had grabbed his companion, he froze and placed her down gently before attacking Vee again. Confused that my mind trick had stopped working, I tried to invade his mind again but the same diamond shield is preventing me to do so. I tried to knock it down and saw Bella flinch.

"They have mind powers!" Bella shouted as she realized who was attacking her. "You can invade minds?"

Ignoring her question, I ran to her again to resume our fight but froze on my spot. Surrounding us were several more people, all with the same pale complexion and golden eyes. But what made me stop in my tracks were the bear-sized wolves with them.

"PATCH!" I scrambled to his side and he stopped as well. Vee backed away from the edge of the meadow towards us. We were completely surrounded.

"Enough of this," a very attractive man with blonde locks said loudly but calmly. I watched apprehensively, my eyes on the gigantic wolves. My eyes landed on a sandy-colored wolf with familiar eyes.

"Ah," Patch smirked beside me. "You're their leader."

"Carlisle Cullen," the man introduced, stepping forward, his hands outstretched. But he stopped halfway towards us as he saw the glare in Patch's eyes. "This is my family you were attacking."

"They attacked us first," Vee hissed, wiping a bloody lip with her hand.

Carlisle sighed, looking at Bella and her companions. "For that, I am truly sorry. But they are doing so because forces that involve you are pressuring us we'd rather not do."

"You declared war when your family attacked us," Patch said, his voice calm but I felt his hand wrapped around mine protectively.

Carlisle didn't miss Patch's gesture. "This must be your mate. I understand why you're protective of her. But you must understand we are a family here also. We are protective of each other."

Patch's opponent spoke up. "He doesn't want a war. He's hoping we can all talk about this calmly but he saw me strangling her." Carlisle's eyes went to him. "But she had Bella."

"Nothing will be solved if we keep on fighting like this. My friend, I want to talk about this diplomatically as well. Please tell me what we can do to fix all of this."

"Carlisle," Bella called out just as she collapsed on her knee. Patch's opponent and the others rushed to her. "One of them is attacking my shield."

"Tell us what you are," Patch began, his eyes turning to steel. "Tell us what they are and tell us what you want with the Devilcraft. And I don't like secrets so tell your little shield there to keep her protection to herself or I will be forced to break it."

At that exact moment, Bella yowled in pain. "Bella," Carlisle turned to her, gently touching her shoulder. "It's okay. You can let go now. They won't trust us if they think we're hiding things."

"They have their own shields, Carlisle," Patch's opponent said, standing swiftly up. "I can't read any of their minds."

Carlisle looked at us. Patch nodded. "Very well, we'll bring down our shields as well so your mind reader can looked through our thoughts."

I lowered my shield, hesitantly. I was sure I would feel a cold sensation inside my head but nothing came. Patch's opponent nodded towards Carlisle.

"Very well," he said approaching us again. "I will tell you about our family as long as you tell us what you are. Be prepared with the consequences it entails with our government as well."

Patch smirked. "I already know prior to this that you are not human. It would be perfectly fine if they go after us because we would be ready." My thoughts wandered to the army we were building at home. Patch's opponent's eyes went to me and I knew he heard me. I looked away, steering clear of that.

"Very well. My family and I are known in town as the Cullens. The local Quileute tribe know us as the Cold Ones. The rest of the world know us as the living dead. We are vampires."

My jaw dropped as I heard the word "vampires". But vampires are folklore. They are not real. Besides they kill and drink human blood. If a family of vampires live in such a small town like Forks, word would have gotten out already.

"This is my son, Edward Cullen," Carlisle waved towards Patch's opponent. "And his wife, Isabella Swan Cullen. This is Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen. That is Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen." He waved at Isabella, then the blonde, then the big guy, then a tall guy with honey blonde hair and a smaller petite girl with a pixy haircut. All of them were either about my age or a little older.

He reached out his hand towards a young woman with the kindest face I have ever seen. "And this is my wife, Esme."

"What about them?" Patch asked, nodding towards the wolves.

"I am sorry to say their secret is not ours to tell. But if their alpha chooses to, they would gladly inform you of what they really are," Carlisle said politely. The boy named Edward looked towards them and nodded.

"They'll do it."

The wolves slowly turned back to the forest and left. I frowned, "They're not telling us anything."

"Just wait for them to be back. In the meantime do you have any questions?"

Edward looked directly at me, answering my unspoken question. "We don't drink human blood for our own reasons. We hunt animals and their blood is what feeds us. We are vegetarians. We are also careful not to mention what we really are to the humans because then the Volturi would have a reason to come here and turn any human to one of us. Even if newborns have the population size as similar as Forks', it would cause an outbreak of our kind and humans will be placed in danger."

I frowned. This wasn't the case that was painted for us. The creatures here in Washington were supposed to be the bad guys.

"Ah, here they come," Carlisle spoke up again, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up and saw Seth and his gang with Dante's doppelganger in the front. Despite the temperature, they were all wearing low rise jeans and nothing else, except a young woman in her mid-twenties who was wearing a gray tank top and short shorts. They approached us with steady steps but my eyes were on Seth. He was careful not to meet my glares.

"We are from the Quileute tribe," Dante's doppelganger said, looking directly at Patch. "I am Jacob Black and that is my pack. We are shape-shifters that take the form of wolves. We were the pack of wolves you saw just a while ago."

"Now my friends, it is your turn to tell us who you are and why you have come to Forks."

"I am Jev," Patch introduced himself after a minute. "I am a fallen Archangel. This is Nora Grey and Vee Sky," he said introducing us. "They are from the Nephilim race-half human, half fallen angel."

The shock registered on everyone's eyes. "Like vampires, we are also immortal."

Silence had settled over the meadow as the words thrown were digested carefully. It was Edward who first spoke. "So what is it you want from us?"

"To prevent any creature from harnessing Devilcraft from hell again," Patch replied.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

We were sitting in the kitchen of the Cullen's huge, elegant, proportioned home. The walls were a soft shade of white, making the dark mahogany doors and window frames stand out. Their lawn was massive with a long driveway that led up to their garage. Inside was a massive interior with bright, open rooms. I spied on a raised platform an elegant black piano on the living room. The wooden floors, the carpet, and the roof were various shades of white. The kitchen was not any less impressive. Complete with soft gray granite counters and sleek white cupboards, the kitchen was as open as the rest of the house. We were seated at the stools surrounding a granite island counter.

Patch, Vee, and I were hesitant to go with the Cullens when Carlisle offered to have us stay with his family at their home. They were enemies as far as we could tell and nothing was changing that. But I couldn't shake off the feeling we didn't know the whole story. If we want to solve this diplomatically, we need to trust the others' honesty. So here we were, listening to Edward recount their story with the rest of his family surrounding us and Dante's doppelganger, Jacob. The pack, or what I thought was Seth's gang, was sitting on the living room, no doubt listening in on our conversation anyways.

"A few years ago," he began pensively. "Isabella Swan came to Forks, Washington after living with her mother in Arizona. I met her in my biology class and when she walked in, her blood sang to me."

"Sang to you?" Vee repeated, sounding like the idea was completely preposterous.

"There are some people whose blood is completely irresistible to us, our singers. For me, that is Bella," he explained patiently.

"I suppose that's how she changed?" I asked, putting things together. "You bit her?"

"Not in the way you're thinking. May I continue?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Despite the fact that she is my singer, I fell in love with her. But I realized quickly that I constantly place her on danger. Her blood was not only alluring to me but to others of our kind and an encounter with nomad coven had made me realized it. Even Jasper had a hard time trying to control his thirst around her. It was clear that I wasn't the good choice for her. So I tried to leave her.

"I wanted to give her the chance to live a normal life. But she placed herself in danger by doing reckless things until one day, I thought I had truly lost her. I went to our royalty, the Volturi coven in Italy to ask them to kill me but they didn't agree to it immediately because they wanted my abilities. They offered a job for me but I turned them down.

"Knowing the Volturi wouldn't allow any vampire to live if they exposed themselves to the humans, I decided to attempt a suicide by showing who I was in front of the people of Volterra. But Bella wasn't dead and she had prevented me from making a mistake just in time.

"But the Volturi was interested in her as well. They consistently warned me about our laws and if they weren't met, a punishment must be carried out. Since she knows my secret, the Volturi ordered me to turn Bella into one of us but I didn't want to. I wanted her to experience life the way it would never be for us. I delayed transforming her with the bargain of marriage. But she agreed to the marriage a few months later.

"Bella became pregnant with my child. She insisted on keeping it even though it was killing her. She had grown weak and nearly died when our daughter was born. That was when I transformed her into one of us. On the other hand, our daughter grows rapidly. We have never encountered a child like her so we were unsure of it all. She was as human as Bella was but as vampire as I am.

"A few months earlier, during my disappearance in Bella's life, one of the vampires from the nomad clan we had eliminated earlier returned to finish Bella's life. But luckily, our allies, the wolves, had come just in time to save her. However, this vampire had a mate. His death and her anger had placed a rift between our family and theirs.

"After Renesmee was born, our cousin vampire had come to the Olympic Peninsula to restore our family's relationship but she saw Renesmee and thought she was a vampire child. It was illegal for us to turn a child into vampires because they lacked the self control of an adult human that is turned into a vampire.

"It wasn't long until the Volturi heard about this from her and they immediately planned to come here with their own militia. They planned on eliminating us. So we strived to get a lot of the other covens to see her. We believed that if enough of our kind saw that our daughter is partly human, it would convince the Volturi to stop their planned execution of our family. Fortunately, we had gathered enough witness and the Volturi listened to us.

"However, things were never the same afterwards. Stirrings began to circulate among our kind. They wanted a new coven to rule over them. They believed that the Volturi had become drunken with power. So several of them contacted us. They planned on a coup d'état to take the Volturi's power and transfer it to us."

"But we never wanted it," Carlisle intercede. "All we want is a quiet peaceful life. None of us wanted to overthrow any regimes. If we went after the Volturi, we would put our own in danger."

"So we declined every offer of a coup d'état," Edward continued, nodding. "Until one day, one of the Volturi guards showed up in our porch. She told us of a group of unnatural beings harnessing the powers of hell for their own use. She told us that we needed to know where this power is so we would be able to stop them from using it against us. They wanted these beings to be eliminated.

"She gave us a name: Nora Grey. She said that this person knows about the powers of hell and she's the one who wants to use it against us. She and her allies were our enemies. But she also warned us that Nora wasn't a normal human and she has some powerful allies of her own. She guaranteed us that if we were careful, we can infiltrate her life and get information about the powers she had."

"So that's why you were stalking my home that night," I said, putting everything together. I suddenly felt anger rushing to me as I realized my mom was left alone at home that night. They could have hurt her!

I opened my mouth to say something but Edward interrupted me. "No, I understand your anger. But we wanted information from you. We had no plans of hurting your mom. When Bella and Jacob went to your farmhouse that night, all we wanted to know is what exactly we were dealing with. But if you feel like you have been offended, I am sorry. However, we need to go to more pressing matters."

I glared at him for a few more seconds, still bothered by the fact that my mom was alone with vampires, even if they were vegetarians and still bothered by the fact that these Volturi people want to come after me for something I do not have. But a sudden calm hang over me and when I spoke, my words were not as angry. In the corner of my eye, I saw Patch frown at Jasper.

"Hang on, if I'm getting this right, what you're saying is that this Volturi has set you up against us, telling you we have the Devilcraft while on the other hand, the Archangels had assigned us to stop the vampires from harnessing it from hell."

"So it's still in hell, this power?" Jacob asked, adjusting his weight to his other foot while the others remained as still as stone.

I nodded.

"Hang on, how did this power ever get out of hell?" the blonde Rosalie asked, looking from me to Vee to Patch. Oh boy, where was I even going to start with that?

I chose to answer the question alone and hopefully the story will flow out. "My biological father, Frank Miller had harnessed it out of hell in hopes of using Devilcraft against the fallen angels. I suppose I should start from the beginning…"

I told them about our world, what happens when angels fall, how that connected me and Patch, what happened to our relationship, Hank Miller's Nephilim army, and how Devilcraft was used during the last Cheshvan. By the time I was finished, all the vampire faces were deep in thought.

"So I don't have the Devilcraft nor do I want it out of hell ever again," I concluded. "The Volturi lied to you. I'm guessing they want the power themselves and they're just trying to look for a way to get it."

"You are accusing them of a serious thing," Carlisle muttered, his face grim.

Patch shook his head. "Nora has a point. Like what you have said, your own people want you to be the new leaders. I'm guessing the Volturi isn't ready to let go of their power yet. So if they set you up against us and attack like you did, Aro is probably hoping even if you're not all eliminated, your numbers would decrease enough for them to eliminate you themselves. If you do get something about the Devilcraft and how to use it, they would harness it and kill your family."

"But it wouldn't work," Vee added, standing up suddenly. "The Archangels would be waiting at the gates of hell for anyone who's attempting to steal it. If any vampire even got near that gate, all of your kind will die."

"So you want us to convince them otherwise," Bella concluded silently.

"You've done it before. You've gathered enough of your kind to witness that your daughter is only a half vampire child. It's the same idea. Gather enough of your kind to try and talk to the Volturi about the dangers of harnessing Devilcraft from hell."

Carlisle sighed and spread his hands in the kitchen counter. "I don't think Aro would be stopped."

"Not unless enough of your kind know the danger they're unknowingly facing because a coven's thirst for power," I said earnestly.

"Nora," Edward uttered, taking me a little by surprise by saying my name. "This whole situation is a lot more complicated to explain to our kind."

Bella added," Besides, if news of the Volturi wanting more power gets out, our kind would go to war with the Volturi. Then they would want us in the position we don't want to be in."

"Well, what if we talk to our closest covens?" the girl named Alice piped in. I stared at her, surprised at the sweetness of her voice. Though all of their voices sounded gentle, sweet, and magical, her voice sounds absolutely dream-like.

"The Denali?" Bella cocked her head to the side. "I'm not sure if that's a great idea. They are still hurting from their sister's death. They could either not want to have anything to do with this especially when it's really not their battle or they could be so grief-stricken they do something reckless like actually fight the Volturi."

"Nevertheless, they are family. I would still ask for their help and we could judge if they are fit to talk diplomatically with the Volturi," Carlisle stated. He sighed and looked at Edward. "What do you think?"

"I think… our kind needs to know what's going on with the Volturi but at the same time, they need to know we don't want to overthrow them or take over their power. We'll need our reasonable allies to fight with us if it comes down to it." His gold eyes landed on me. "You said you have an army and you said they are preparing right now. Maybe if we show your numbers to the Volturi, they would hesitate."

I glanced at Patch. How are we going to fly a total of seventy pure Nephils and have them packed in Volterra? I looked at their family. "They are going to fight anyone who threatens their safety. The fallen angels are gone now and all they want is their freedom."

"So you really are preparing for war," Jacob said in a finalized tone.

Patch shook his head. "No, we want this to be as diplomatic as possible but if it does come to it, yes, we would go to war with your leaders before they try to harness Devilcraft from hell. Because once the Archangels sees them, they would destroy every single living vampire."

I looked at every vampire and every wolf in the room. "What we need to know is where your kinds stand. Are you going to stand up and fight with us, are you going to join them, or are you not going to do anything?"

"My pack and I are with the Cullens, whatever their decision may be," Jacob replied, glancing at Edward.

I turned my attention to Carlisle and then Edward since I think they are the two leaders of the group. But Carlisle sighed and Edward remained silent for a while.

"We understand this is difficult for you," Patch said, sensing their hesitation. "We know you don't want to challenge them because your kind will take it as an attempt to overthrow them. But Carlisle, you do know what this Aro's intentions are. The target is you, your family, and your allies."

"We want to protect our family but we don't want the power their position entails," Carlisle answered him, his eyes on Patch. "And like what Edward said, we know our kind needs to be informed about the Volturi's intentions. If they succeed and the Archangels cannot stop them, they would eliminate us and then enforce their power to our kind and maybe to the humans."

"First and foremost, however, they are threatening our family," Bella pointed out. "They would be invincible if they get this Devilcraft."

"Look," I stood up, pacing which I decided wasn't the best idea with a kitchen filled with supernatural creatures. I had an idea that maybe can somehow help our cause without pressuring the Cullens to fight with us or contact other covens for help. "Maybe you don't have to decide for any actions right now."

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked. All eyes were on me including Patch's and Vee's.

Hoping this would work, I pressed on, "Maybe you can just help us. The Volturi are formidable opponents, sure, but we need to know their strengths and weaknesses. This would really save us and maybe stop them from getting their hands on the Devilcraft."

The room went silent as the others took in my idea. I think it could work since they're not necessarily involved in the process that much. They could sit out the fight, if it comes to it, and even if their kind knew their involvement, they wouldn't necessarily see it as overtaking the government.

"How would we help you?" Rosalie asked skeptically. Though she had been silent for the rest of the time, like the rest of her family, I sensed she didn't trust us. I don't blame her. I am not even sure if we could get them through this with clean hands.

I shrugged. "I think it would be better if you tell us more about the Volturi. If there's something important we need to know, tell us so we could prepare for it the best we can."

"It wouldn't be enough," Carlisle shook his head. I glanced at him as attention turned to him. He sighed as he glanced at Edward again. He nodded slowly but remained silent.

"I am willing to offer our help as long as you are going to approach them diplomatically. Maybe I can even convince the covens that would be beneficial to our cause to come with us. Hopefully the combined forces of vampires, fallen angels, Nephilim, and wolves would make the Volturi hesitate. Additionally, we're going to help you train in combat if it does come down to a fight. I speak on behalf of my family that we don't want to be the next target for whatever their plan is."

I glanced at Patch and Vee. Patch was rubbing his chin as he went over the idea. Then he nodded slowly. "I think that would be fine."

Without another word, the others exited the kitchen. Even though the vampires' faces didn't show any emotion, I sensed their apprehension about the future events that would come. Only Carlisle's wife stayed, looking at us rather nervously.

"You can stay with us, if you'd like," she said. "We have a couple of spare rooms."

"We'd like that," Patch answered with a kind smile. She seemed satisfied as she sashayed out of the room, returning the smile.

Patch headed out for a while to check out of the hotel rooms and retrieve our things. Vee and I stayed in the room to plan our next move. Though the Cullens seemed trustworthy enough, I wasn't sure how much we should actually trust them. It seemed Vee was feeling the same way.

Not wanting to alert our supposedly new acquaintances, I used mind speak. I didn't hesistate to put up my shield either so their mind reader won't hear our conversation. _"We need to find a way just in case these things decide to turn on us. I don't like not having a backup plan."_

Vee nodded. _"I was thinking of it too. But what are we going to do? They have the advantage of numbers on us. Maybe we need to trust them for now."_

_ "You know what I think? I think we should let them teach us about how to defeat the Volturi. If they do something later on, at least we're not completely unprepared. Their numbers will mean nothing if we know how to destroy their kind."_

_ "But if they backstab us even before they teach us?"_

_ "Then it's war. We're going to get the Nephilim army and eliminate any threat."_

She frowned, running her finger through her hair. _"If they hurt us in a bad way, you know it will take weeks for us to recover. By then, the Volturi or the Cullens would have enough time to get to the gates of hell."_

_ "That's why Patch is constantly talking to Pepper. I don't doubt he knows what's going on by now. I am hoping he has enough sense, however, to train the Nephil army."_

A knock in the door interrupted our conversation. I looked at Vee cautiously as we opened the door. Standing outside our room was the small, pixy-haired Alice. An annoyed snarl on her face as she stared at the distance, massaging her temples. When she saw me, she cleared her face and it smoothed to a smile.

"Hi, can I talk to you?" she asked, peeking inside the room. Once again, I was surprised at the gentleness and musicality of her voice.

Unsure, I glanced over at Vee. I figured she wasn't a threat since she's alone, though of course, we're at the disadvantage because this house is filled with vampires and wolves. "Sure." I stepped aside to let her in.

"Okay, you need to stop doing what you're doing!" she suddenly said, frustrated.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"That! Whatever it is you're doing. You, your friend, and your fallen angel boyfriend is blocking my visions!"

"Sorry for asking it again, but…what?"

She inhaled sharply and let it out in a calming exhale. "I can see the future and I just wanted to see what will happen to this mission of yours. Sometimes I could see your small decisions in advance and sometimes I could see what the future holds for you as long as you feel the way you feel right now. But then there are moments where I can't see anything. It's so frustrating! It's like you three are purposely teasing me with the future and then grabbing it away when things get interesting!"

I exchanged looks with Vee. So maybe this vampire girl is a little crazy. She sighed again as she massaged her temples. "Well…er, sorry?"

She whipped towards me, her eyes blazing. "But you're not the only one. The Volturi is doing it too. They've never done it before. This is concerning me greatly."

"And so you're thinking we have something to do with your lack of insight to the Voturi's future?" Vee asked.

She nodded. "Do you know anyone that could possibly have the ability to block me. I mean, this doesn't happen to me often. I especially never experienced having insight to the future in one second while I can't see a thing in another second."

I shook my head. "No, I'm sorry."

She looked up at us, holding her hands out. "Can you please stop what it is you're doing so I can at least have some kind of glimpse? It's frustrating enough not to see anything while the wolves are here but at least they're not doing it on purpose."

"How do you know we're doing it on purpose?" Vee inquired, sounding a bit insulted.

"Because, like I said, sometimes I could get a glimpse then sometimes I'm blocked out. Can you at least tell me what it is you're doing?"

"We don't know what we're doing and I don't think it's on purpose," I told her, trying to appease her because she was starting to sound hysterical. "But we can try. Compare your visions now with whatever you see when I block my thoughts."

She nodded and I lowered my defenses. Immediately, her eyes lightened as it glazed over. Then she blinked out of her vision, nodding. "Yes, I can see! Would you like to know?"

I shook my head, not really sure if I wanted to hear what the future holds. "Ready?" I asked her. She nodded and I placed my defenses up.

Immediately, I saw her frustration. "There! Stop that!"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Alice. I don't think I can do that. You'd just have to endure that there will be times I won't let you know what my future holds. But how about this? I'll lower my shield most of the time when I'm here, to show you I'm not hiding anything. But just know it will not be down the whole time."

She sighed again. "Fine. I guess I'll have to endure those small moments. I guess I'll go now." She headed back and I walked her to the door. She glanced over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I bothered you two."

I shook my head, plastering on a smile. "It's fine."

I turned to Vee who still looked surprised and confused. "So, there are crazy vampires."

I went downstairs a few hours later to check if Patch had already came in. I wandered through the empty living room and looked out of the huge glass window. Jacob's pack had already left to patrol the premises as it was their job. I continued to gaze out of the window, thinking about the predicament we have found ourselves in. I know the Cullens had done nothing to us so far that would merit any distrust but knowing someone from their kind wants the Devilcraft makes me doubt the rest of them. However, they promised to teach us how to destroy their own kind which helps ease my suspicions a bit. They wouldn't risk teaching powerful, immortal beings how to destroy them if they don't want this stopped, right? But I was definitely certain there was no way I would share how to destroy a fallen angel. Destroying first generation Nephilim would be difficult since only the intervention of Archangels could kill us but they are on our side right now. Devilcraft is still in hell so they can't use that to kill us either.

A pair of glowing orbs caught my attention, taking me away from my troubled thoughts. I looked down to see a huge sandy-colored wolf, the same wolf that refused to look at me straight in the eyes. I knew by the size that it was one of Jacob's pack members, though I'm not certain who. I haven't spoken to Seth either after I found out he was a werewolf to know who's who in his pack. Now I know he was sent there to find out more about the Devilcraft, like Bella and Jacob, I was a bit annoyed. All of these creatures stalking me without me knowing is really getting to be a pain. The first few times, I was scared but now, I just felt like there's a huge painted sign on my back that reads, "WANTED: MAGICAL CREATURES. MUST BE ABLE TO STALK FULL TIME."

My Nephil radar buzzed as I noticed the temperature grow colder, a sign that one of the Cullens must be around. With a house of beautiful undead statues, it wasn't an alarming thing. I turned around to see Bella standing behind me, still as stone. She looked like one of the ghosts in old horror movies, beautiful yet haunted.

"Hey, that look could work with the main theme of my life: horror," I told her.

Her face broke into a surprisingly warm smile. Here I was thinking these vampires couldn't manage a facial expression; beautiful yet blank.

"Can I join you," she asked hesitantly.

"Sure, I guess." I turned back to the window to find the sandy-wolf was gone.

A blink later, she was standing beside me, gazing out the window as well. I waited in awkward silence for her to speak. I opened my mouth to excuse myself but she suddenly grabbed my arm with surprising strength.

"So heaven and hell are real?" she asked, gripping my wrist tightly with delicate looking fingers.

I looked down, cringing a bit in pain. "Uh, Bella, you're hurting me."

She looked down, surprised and let go off my wrist hurriedly. "I'm sorry."

I rubbed the spots, already feeling the purple bruises. I wonder how long this would heal. Maybe a day or two? "Just easy on me. I'm not exactly like the other beings you've been with."

She nodded and looked at me expectantly. I gave her my "what" look, completely forgetting about her question.

"Oh yeah," I said, snapping back to it. "Uh…yes, it's real."

She remained still again, her face troubled. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Are we damned?"

The question surprised me. I have never thought vampires would ask about their salvation. But then, I'm wildly basing it on my knowledge from movies. Basso's words returned to me. He said there were creatures feeding on humans that are manifestation of Man's sins. Vampires were creatures and does feed on humans, despite the fact these particular vampires are vegetarian so I suppose Basso's description also includes them.

"I'm not really sure what happens after someone like us dies," I told her slowly. It was the most honest answer I could think of.

"Most of our kind believe we are soulless with the certainty that we are damned after waking up in this life," she said pensively. "But no one knows about the beautiful souls of my family."

"If it's any consolation, you're looking at two Nephils and a fallen angel. We're not exactly heaven's dream team either. So if we're going to the same place you are…well we'll see each other there then."

She stared at me straight in the eye. "Do you know anyone of your kind who has died?"

I nodded, thinking of Scott with a pang. "He was one of my closest friends. He was always there when I needed him. He…saved me that night when we banished Devilcraft back to hell."

"I'm sorry," Bella whispered gently.

I nodded again, clearing my throat. "I suppose our destination hasn't been set yet. I mean, here we are working with the Archangels to keep Devilcraft off the Earth. I'm hoping that's at least worth something."

When she remained silent, I pressed on. "Look Bella, all that matters now is what we're doing while we're here. All that matters is that we save the people who doesn't deserve to be subjected to such an evil power." Even though it feels like I'm doing this to save Patch from hell, I realized I do want to keep Devilcraft in hell because I know what kind of damage it would potentially create. No one deserves that.

She agreed. "Yes, you're right."

"I have to go check on Patch," I told her, standing up.

She stood up as well. "I think he's at the garage with the boys. I have to go home and check on my daughter too."

I headed towards the back door that led to the garage while she headed towards the front door. I heard the door open and close on the other side of the house as Bella disappeared to the night. I entered the back door, gently closing it behind me.

I heard the guys' voices as I neared the garage. They were speaking in friendly, familiar tones as if they've known each other all their lives. I cracked the door open very slightly to hear what they were talking about.

"You have a pretty sweet collection here, even though I have to admit I am partial to motorcycles," Patch was telling them as he examined a shiny red car. His back was on me while Edward and Emmett stood across him in clear view. "These kinds of cars draw too much attention if you ask me."

Edward agreed. "It's rare we take these out and we normally take the town's back roads if we want to ride them. But then, it doesn't really matter. We don't need these cars to travel."

"Not one of these cars can outrun us," Emmett added with a smirk.

"Must be slow rides," Patch muttered but I knew they both heard it. Emmett's face hardened while Edward drew out a crooked smile.

He nodded towards Patch. "So what do you do in your spare time?"

"Pool and gamble," Patch answered shortly as he leaned against the hood of the car.

"Have any high bets?"

"Not in the way you would think," Patch admitted after a while. "We don't gamble money and property only goes as far as the first two games."

"Then what?"

"Years of servitude."

"Slavery?"

Patch thought of it for a while. "Not exactly. Since I played with mostly other fallen angels, we would bet on our Nephilim vassals. The higher in power our vassals were in the human world, the higher the stakes are. It also helps if they know you're someone powerful. If you emerge as a winner, you would take their high-profile Nephilm vassal and take over their bodies for the two weeks of Cheshvan. Another option is the losing fallen angel would still take over their Nephil vassal but he/she wouldn't be able to do what they want. Instead, they would still have to do whatever the winning fallen angel commands them to do."

I felt my hands shaking as I heard Patch recount the bets. I haven't felt the magnitude of what my people was going through until now. I realized how much they were not in control of their own bodies during Cheshvan. Sometimes they weren't only being controlled by one fallen angel. Sometimes, there's a fallen angel above their own master.

"So, how many vassals have you taken over, besides your own?" Edward had asked, speaking out the question I wanted to be answered. I waited in anticipation for Patch's answer. I wasn't sure if I could forgive him if I hear something I didn't want to hear.

He shrugged. "None." I didn't realize I was holding my breath. I let it out in a steady exhale. "I collect my earnings when I need them. I find it makes it harder for people to say no when they have a huge debt. But then all of that doesn't matter now. The fallen angels that owe me big are now in hell for eternity and their vassals free every Cheshvan. There's nothing I need from them anyways. I have everything I want."

Emmett smirked again but Edward frowned as he thought of something. "Why didn't your girl get behind the idea of Devilcraft for the Nephilim race? Her father harnessed it and you said she herself digested it inside her. Why didn't she use it for her race's sake?"

I heard an audible sigh from Patch. "I know sometime during the impending war, she was confused. I was sure she felt the power of the Devilcraft and was hesitant to let it go. She even falsely showed me she drank an antidote for the poison she was ingesting before she got too addicted to it. But Dante used it against her and she knew it was time to banish it from Earth. She chose her people's freedom but chose not to use Devilcraft to fight for it."

"So this Dante, by controlling the fallen angels, controlled the Nephil vassals," Edward reached the realization. "He hit two things at once."

"So you see why Devilcraft should never ever be harnessed from hell again. It's going to affect more than one kind and the Archangels would intervene as soon as Mankind is affected gravely."

"Do you really think there's going to be a war?"

Patch was silent for a few minutes as he thought of it. I knew he was analyzing that if a great but evil power is up for grabs, would a diplomatic resolution would even be reached. Would this Volturri coven ever risk their own lives, their own kind, just to get such a dangerous power?

But when Patch spoke, he was certain of his words. I saw Edward and Emmett's grim expressions and I knew they thought of it too.

"There will be war."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"If that's the case, let us bring some help," Edward suggested a moment later.

"What about your family's animosity? You don't want your kind to think you're in liege with creatures they don't even know about. Besides, by actively participating in this, your kind might think you're actually going after the Volturi's position."

"I decided it's not about that any longer. Our kind has the right to know what's going on. They need to know their own government is planning on a dictatorship."

"But I don't think it would be wise to bring in a lot of your kind immediately. If a lot of the coven knows what the Volturi has planned, there will be an outrage. That would only guarantee for a war. Even though I know this Aro wouldn't yield in a diplomatic talk, we still need to give it a shot so we could say we did everything we can before we resulted to the worst case scenario. If you must bring in some of your kind, bring in only the ones you trust the most. What about the Denali coven that Carlisle had suggested?"

I saw Edward nod. "Yes, they would be the best group for now. Until then, it's best we keep it on the down low. I'll talk to Carlisle about this and we can plan something immediately."

They were silent for a while until Edward glanced at his brother, a slight hint of embarrassment disrupting his perfect face. "Rosalie wants you right now."

Emmett broke into a grin when he caught up on what Edward was trying to say. "Well, my lady calls." He stood up and excused himself, using the garage door to exit out of instead of using the back door where I was hidden.

Edward turned to Patch again. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it?"

"How do you kill a Nephil?"

There was a silence, the room suddenly felt tense. I wanted to barge in at that moment. I knew the Cullens couldn't be trusted! Why would they ask a question like that when we're not even the enemies? If they were asking about how they can destroy us, that means they are actually planning on acting on it.

When Patch said nothing, Edward added, "I know it's not the best question to ask especially when we're just forming an alliance but I'm asking to help you. Humans can be easily killed. A strike to the head, a pierce to the heart. They're fragile. But if you know the key components that would immediately kill a human, you'd know what to protect first. It's the same thing with Nephil and fallen angels like yourself. I want to know so we can form strategies and defenses that benefits all. Besides, we'll share without hesitation how you can destroy vampires."

I was still doubtful and perhaps Patch was too. He stood up from his post and started pacing slowly. His face was clear yet there was something heavy in the way he walks. I knew he didn't like the sound of it.

"Very well. But we will talk about it when we start the training," he finally answered. It was vague but diplomatic at the same time.

Edward looked troubled but he agreed nonetheless. He stood up and left without another word, exiting through the garage door like Emmett. But unlike Emmett, he didn't return to the house. Instead, he headed off to the woods in an inhumane speed. A moment later, Patch headed towards the door I was hiding at. I pressed myself against the shadows as he exited.

He stopped in front of me and without looking, spoke. "I know you're there Angel."

I stepped out of the shadows and stared inquiringly at him. "So do you trust him?"

He searched my eyes for something I wasn't sure. He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. "I had my work cut out for me. Basso wasn't kidding at all when he said this is going to be a helluva punishment."

I waited for his answer but he only sighed again. He grabbed my hand and we made our way back inside the house without another word. But before we entered the back door he stopped again.

"For now, trusting them is the only choice we have," he admitted, finally answering my question.

_I was running in the forest again. Even though the ground at my feet and the trees surrounding me felt a bit foreign, I knew exactly where I was. I turned west when I reached a pine tree, going completely on another direction. My feet were rushing as I flew past trees. There was a climbing sense of dread and fear building in my chest. I knew I had to get to where I was going before it was too late._

_ Then I saw it, a few miles away from me. Horror soaked through my skin like sweat. I could see it even though I was certain it was night. Patch's black orb eyes were looking at me, an unfamiliar fear in his eyes sent shivers to my spine. He was crouched on the ground in his fours. A man was standing over him, holding fire in his hand. The flame was a quiet shade of blue licking at something long and black. I realized a millisecond later that on the other hand, the man was holding Patch's black feather. It was coming closer and closer to the flame until I was certain I was beginning to see smoke. I ran, horrified but the forest floor was keeping me from advancing. I slipped and fell but I hadn't gone anywhere near close. I saw a wicked smile forming on the man's lips before he let the flames engulf Patch's feather. Patch's eyes were on me before his whole body was set to flame._

_ "NO!" I wanted to scream but my voice never made it. Something blocked my voice. My throat felt thick with liquid and I tried spitting it out but couldn't. I tried screaming again but even my thoughts felt incoherent and groggy. It was then I felt the flame in my chest that began to crawl towards every inch of my skin. I looked down and saw a blade glowing faint blue pierced halfway through my heart. I recognized the hilt immediately and knew this is Dante's sword. I opened my mouth again but only the warm liquid in my throat spilled out. I realized it was blood. The man's head whipped towards me as he smelled the blood. He smiled again but this time, I saw fangs. He pounced and everything went black._

I gasped, my lungs expanding suddenly as if I had refused to take in a breath for a while. I sat up, drenched in sweat. I placed my face on my palms, trying to calm my heart rate. I sank back in my sheets once my pulse was at a reasonable pace. But after thirty minutes of endless tossing and turning, I decided to give up on sleep. There was something about the nightmare, though I couldn't remember now, that felt like it was foreshadowing what is about to happen.

A gentle knock on the door brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Esme peeking through, the light from the hallway shining behind her, making her look like an angel.

"Nora?" she asked hesitantly. Her eyes didn't need to adjust to the darkness as she glanced at me.

"Yeah," I answered, sitting up and brushing my hair back off my face.

"Breakfast is ready outside, if you like."

"I'll be right out."

I grabbed my clothes from my luggage and got dressed. A few minutes later, I was heading towards the Cullens' dining area. Everyone was already seated on the table. The vampires had no plates on their places. Instead, they sat still like statues. In front of Patch and Vee, however, were served eggs and ham with orange juice and coffee. A vacant seat was saved for me with the same meal already prepared.

"My family and I had been discussing our predicament," Carlisle said the moment I settled down on my seat. "I know this is a difficult challenge for all of us and I believe it is in our best interest to come up with a good strategy. It's not only our own family's safety on the line but also our kind's. So we decided it is more important for our kind to know about what the Volturi is doing rather than our preference to stay out of any conflict."

"So you're bringing in allies," Patch stared at him, his face blank.

Carlisle stared back at him for a few seconds before slowly nodding.

I fought the urge to say anything. I still didn't like the sound of bringing in more vampires into a fight that has Nephil written all over it. I wasn't sure how the others of my kind would react to recruiting the help of several vampires. I know we can go against any vampire coven with our power and our numbers. Besides, I was still not convinced that the Cullens did not have a hidden agenda behind all of this. But if I reacted right now, Edward would know and it wouldn't help the fragile trust we're trying to build. I actively avoided any thoughts about this. Instead, as silence fell over everyone, I silently invaded their minds to hear their thoughts in hopes that maybe I can form at least an opinion about it.

_"I know the Denali coven would help us the most," _Edward was thinking. _"It's also safer to bring them in since they can just hunt the wild animals around the forest. Though their presence would definitely trigger some of the younger Quileute tribe members to turn into wolves. I was hoping things might be a little easier for Jake."_

Without detecting anything deceitful, I wandered away from his thoughts and focused my web to the vampire next to him.

_ "This is getting more and more complicated. I don't like having to fight our own kind but from what we have found out, this is serious,"_ Carlisle thought as he frowned. _"I'm not surprised Aro would do something like this to make sure he stays in power but I don't know why he's not hesitating. Conjuring Devilcraft is a little risky. Maybe there's still hope. I know Patch and Edward are certain there will be a war but maybe we can talk to them."_

I wandered away again, focusing on Emmett this time.

_ "I wonder what kind of strength this fallen has,"_ he eyed Patch steadily, estimating him. _"Tall blondie and red should be easier physically. They had trouble with me, that's for sure. But they do have those freaky mind controlling things. I better steer clear from them."_

_ "I can't see anything again! Is it Jacob? Ugh, the pack is near,"_ Alice placed two fingers on each of her temple, massaging it. She was focusing on a scent that seemed very repulsive to her. It was some kind of wet dog smell that she associated with the wolves. Funny, I never even had caught a whiff of anything like that around the wolves. It must be a vampire thing.

"Who do you plan on bringing in?" Patch asked, taking me away from the others' thoughts.

"Like what I had said before, the Denali coven are our safest bet. They are our family and they live the same way we do. I could count on their help," Edward replied.

"Oh, Edward, you can't expect the Denali to be okay to face the Volturi, not easily after they had lost their mother and their sister to them," Esme whispered softly as if feeling the Denali's pain. "I can't imagine if they would take this easily."

"She's right. It would be either they are so aggressive they'd want to fight the Volturi without reason or they wouldn't want to have anything to do with our predicament," Alice agreed to her.

"But they are our safest bet. I don't trust the Roman coven. They're behind all the coup plots," Bella reasoned. "If we want to make it clear to our kind we don't want any part of the Volturi's power and position, the Roman coven isn't the ally we should get. They're just looking for a reason to avenge their past. Furthermore, if we tell them we don't want the power but still go to war with the Volturi to stop their plans, the Roman coven might catch that opportunity. I wouldn't put it past them to want to harness the Devilcraft just to make sure they stay in power forever."

"What would the Denali coven's participation be if they were invited?" Patch turned his attention to Carlisle.

He ran his fingers through his hair wearily. The humanity of the movement surprised me. I didn't expect these perfectly molded creatures to actually look worried. "I suppose they could testify to our cause."

I shook my head as I spoke up. "That wouldn't be enough. The Volturi would see we're just recreating what you did the last time you faced them. They would find some kind of loophole. They could say they're doing this for your kind so no creature like Nephilim or fallen angels could enslave you. Don't give them the chance to brainwash or even persuade your allies into their own side."

"So what do you suppose we do?" Rosalie raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms. "Like you said, you want this to be as peaceful as it could come. It's the only peaceful resolution we could think of."

"I…guess it would be better if they stay behind the pictures. We tell them what's going on, sure, so we could have them behind us. But it's better if it's only your coven and the three of us who talk to the Volturi. They wouldn't have anyone to brainwash or persuade. They would be our backup. They would fight if needed, like our Nephilim army."

I looked at each vampire. "Of course, your coven could stay only for diplomatic talks. If a war occurs, you can leave."

Bella shook her head. "No. Once the Volturi sees us together, they wouldn't hesitate to say we had an alliance and our family had a part on the war. They wouldn't stop to think we are just like ambassadors. Besides, we were involved the moment Jane walked inside our home. Whatever happens, we would be there standing beside you for the sake of our kind."

At that moment, Jacob's pack came in the huge dining room. I immediately caught Seth's eye but he looked away just as fast. However, I kept my eyes on them as they all piled inside, near the entrance.

"What's the werewolves role?" I asked, briefly flickering my gaze to Jacob. If I didn't trust the vampires easily, I completely didn't trust the werewolves. Seth had tried to get information (though it was for the vampires) through trying to befriend me and Jacob looks way too much like Dante for me to even think of trusting him.

"We're willing to fight beside you," he replied, matching my glare. "My pack is where my family is."

"I think it's better if for this one, you don't directly interfere," Patch spoke, gazing at them with crossed arms.

Paul opened his mouth in protest and my eyes glared at him as I remembered that night at the alley behind the Devil's Handbag. The anger surged inside me and the level of distrust increased. I opened my mouth to say something but the words never came. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Edward turn towards Jasper. I didn't think any of it, not until I suddenly felt forced into a calm.

"You can't force us to sit this one out," Paul protested, placing his hands up in disbelief. "We've been fighting beside the Cullens for years now. This is our land and we're affected as much as they are."

"We're not asking you not to fight," Patch replied patiently as if he was explaining something simple to an impatient child. "On the contrary, we want you to fight when the time is right. But during whatever diplomatic talk we can pursue, we want you to standby along the other vampires and our own Nephilim army."

"Besides, if something happens to us, I want your pack to be safe for my daughter's sake," Bella added earnestly, staring directly at Jacob. I wasn't sure why Bella was leaving her daughter's safety to him. What did he have to do with it? "Jake, this is like the last time. We don't know if Aro will listen to us. I want you to take Nessie and run if it's necessary."

"You're going to ensure my daughter isn't involved in this, of course. She has nothing to do with this conflict this time," Edward turned to Patch with intensity I have never seen in the short period I have known him.

"Yes," Patch didn't blink. Instead he stared at Edward with the same intensity. "You're daughter will stay out. She is protected by the Archangels since she is partly human."

"I understand what I have to do," Jacob said, staring at Bella.

I frowned. "You should be with your pack. Isn't that your main objective? You are their alpha and you should take responsibility to them. They might be the help we need."

The pack all looked at me like I was crazy. Edward sighed loudly. "Nora, you are right. Jacob is responsible for his pack. However, since Renesmee, our daughter, is the girl Jacob imprinted on, it is also his responsibility to make sure she is safe."

"That means he can leave the moment he feels Renesmee is endangered," to my surprise, it was Seth who spoke.

I turned to him glaringly, annoyed nothing was making any sense. "I don't understand. What do you mean by 'imprinted on'?"

"It's when a werewolf chooses their mate," Seth replied again.

My eyes widened and my lips twisted in disgust. "Wait, I thought Renesmee is only six? How can you agree to that?"

"You don't understand. I don't even know why we're bothering to explain it," Jacob's lips thinned. "It goes beyond that. For now, I'm not even thinking about that. All I want is to protect her and make sure she's happy."

"So Jacob will make sure Renesmee is safe, away from the potential fight," Edward pressed on. "But the pack will fight with us along with the Denali coven and your Nephilim army if the time comes."

Carlisle rose to his feet. He had been silent for a few minutes. Apparently, it was because he was still thinking of the impending war. "Perhaps we should convene with other covens."

"Why? I thought you want this to be as low profiled as possible?"

"What if the Denali coven doesn't want to participate? There's a danger that the Volturi would know we're convening with covens and that would certainly provoke an attack. If we cover several covens at once, at least one of them might agree to our plans."

Patch was frowning full on. I knew he had bargained for one coven. I knew that one coven was for the Cullens' assurance that we trust them. I didn't like having more vampires than we really can afford. I hate thinking there are things that could harm my army out there with them in the field.

"How many covens do you plan on talking to?"

"Including our Denali brother and sisters, three."

I exchanged a glance with Patch. "That's two more than we bargained for, Carlisle," Patch told him.

"I know but it's the only solution I can see as of right now. We don't know what the Denali's position is with the Volturi but if we make sure we have backup, then we might still have a chance."

"We'll have to talk about this," Patch said after a few minutes of tensed silence. He stood up and walked out of the room. I followed suit with Vee on my heels. We followed him away from their house to the middle of the forest. When he stopped, I felt a sudden buzz in the air. I knew his shield was up and I automatically placed mine too.

"I don't like the sound of this." It was Vee who spoke first. She had remained surprisingly quiet the whole time. But I knew she was thinking of a way to get us out too.

"I know," Patch agreed, placing his hand on his chin. "I don't like the idea of having ourselves surrounded by vampires. They've taken us readily but we don't know if others would do the same. We can fend for ourselves, that's for sure but we can only do it as long as we have enough sustenance and rest. They can't finish us off but they can do a lot of damage once we're disabled."

But we all knew there was nothing we could do about it. In the end, we needed the Cullens' participation in this and if they need others, then there was no doubt we would have to agree. We all knew that even if we did not like it at all.

I opened my mouth to say what we were all thinking about but Patch held out his hand, frowning as if he was listening hard to something. He stayed still for a couple of minutes before nodding slowly.

"They'll reveal the way to kill them if we agree to it," he finally said.

"They could be lying," Vee pointed out.

He nodded. "But they agreed to keep Bella's shield away from this. They're confident and maybe even a little desperate for help if they're willing to go to as much length as disabling their only shield against us."

I inhaled sharply. "Fine, let's just get this over with. Let's agree to what they want."

"I don't like taking Christmas away from Charlie," Bella was explaining when we came back inside the house. They were all gathered in the living room with the big glass window. Edward sat on the piano, playing a very solemn piece. If I haven't been so wound up about this Devilcraft business, I would have listened to him playing. I could already tell it was beautiful but I was too distracted to really focus on every note. Instead, his song became background music, loud enough to know it's there but subtle enough that it doesn't take away any part of our conversation.

"So what do you suppose?"

"We'll travel after Christmas. "

"But what if the Volturi already got a wind of our plans?" Rosalie asked.

Edward shook his head. "They haven't had the chance to see any of our plans. Besides Bella and Patch had protected our thoughts from any unwanted eavesdropping from them."

The fact that Patch was actively participating for their protection came as a surprise. The others glanced towards Patch but he remained silent and indifferent. I turned my attention to Carlisle.

"We're in. What's the plan now?"

"We'll wait after Christmas before we do any training." He hesitated, looking at the three of us. "But if we want to keep an edge, we would have to get the other covens at the same time. We plan to travel and we'd like for you to join us. Patch can join Esme and I to talk to the Egyptian coven. Vee can go with Alice and Jasper to the Amazon coven. Nora can accompany Bella and Edward to our sisters and brother, the Denali coven."

"You want to split us up?" Vee snarled. I didn't agree to the plan either. Two against however many the covens we were going to visit is a bit of a disadvantage on our side.

"Vee," Rosalie turned to her, attempting to sound patient but ended up sounding like she was patronizing her. Vee's snarl only deepened in response but Rosalie ignored it. "If we would want to corner you, we wouldn't have waited to take you out of the country for that. Three against all of us and the pack is a little overwhelming. If we wanted you dead, we would have killed you already so please stop with all the suspicions and doubts. It's not going to help us."

Vee scoffed. "What makes you think we're going to sit still and let you kill us?"

Carlisle ignored her comment. "Even though our family does not kill, it would have to do what it has to in order to survive and killing you isn't it. Trust us. Nothing will happen to you. The Volturi will only win if you cannot trust us."

"Fine, when do we leave?"

"After Christmas."

I saw Edward glance at Alice before nodding. "I don't think the Egyptian coven will be on board if they meet creatures that could potentially be dangerous to them."

"Wait you told us trust is essential for this mission but now you're saying you can't introduce us to some of your kind because they might think we're dangerous?" Vee pointed out.

"We need to persuade them," Carlisle replied calmly. "You know nothing is for certain yet. Amun was very unhappy to stand by our side when we faced the Volturi the last time. If Patch comes along with us, I am certain he will shut off before we could even get a word in. If it was only Esme and myself, he may be very hesitant but at least he wouldn't attack. We might also get Benjamin on board if we get to talk to him. He might even persuade Amun for us."

"What about the Irish coven? It's likely only Benjamin and Tia agree in joining us. If we have Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie, we might actually stand a chance," Edward said.

"Wait, more covens?" I asked, holding my hands up. This is going way past what we agreed on.

Carlisle nodded. "It is a lot more than you had bargained for, I understand. But if we go to Egypt, we are risking Amun telling the Volturi about our plans. But we need to talk to Benjamin. He is powerful and was willing to join us the last time we faced the Volturi. The Irish coven also has powers that could be useful to us. We need them.

"Patch can accompany Nora with Edward and Bella. Alice and Jasper will go to Brazil with Vee. Esme and I will travel to Egypt and Ireland. Rosalie, Emmett, and Renesmee will stay with the pack just so we're not completely defenseless."

The Cullens waited for our reply. I glanced at Vee before we both looked at Patch. Finally after a few minutes of silence, he nodded.

Carlisle explained it would be possible that the other vampire covens wouldn't help us. It was an impossible mission centered on a powerful ruling coven. Most of their kind were afraid of the Volturi and for good reason. If the covens he wanted as allies were to join us, they needed to be as prepared for the Volturi as we are, though they have the upper hand because they know how to destroy each other.

During Christmas Eve, snow began to pile outside. Coupled with the howling wind, it couldn't have been any less than a blizzard. However, the others didn't seem to mind it a bit. The wolves continued their patrols and the Cullens hunted whenever the snow cleared enough for some animals to come out. By Christmas day, there was at least four feet of snow on the ground.

"I don't think we would be able to train with this snow," Patch told me as he approached me. I looked out of the window, over the white ground in front of me. He gently touched my shoulder as he entered and read my thoughts.

_ "I'm worried too. But I have to believe we could get through this."_

_ "Things aren't getting better. How do we know if we could trust these other covens when we can barely trust the Cullens?"_

_ "Faith, I guess. They can't kill us but can paralyze us greatly, yes. But I would want to think the Archangels would hold up their end before any of their kind gets hold of the Devilcraft."_

_ "That would mean you'll be sent to hell."_

_ "I know. But as long as they're not getting that power and as long as I know you'll be safe, I'll be fine. Besides, don't you think I can't get back to you?"_

I stared at him fully. "You're not supposed to make that a habit."

He threw his head back and laughed. "I know. But it's a challenge I want to say I enjoy especially if the motivation is you."

Esme approached us carefully, looking wary at the both of us. Compared to the others, she looked the least intimidating. I had the immediate impression of a caring mother that was only reinforced during my stay here with her family. She seemed warm and compassionate and if there was someone I would hesitate to hurt, it would be her. But that doesn't mean I trusted her more than the others.

"Excuse me," she said in a small, barely audible voice. We both turned our attention to her. "If you would like, both of you and Vee could stay here for Christmas. Bella, Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, Leah, and Seth are all going to the Swans' house to spend most of today there but they would be returning tonight. It would mean a lot to my family if you share Christmas with us."

Patch smiled kindly, which seemed to encourage her as her face lit up a little. "We would like that, seeing we really don't have anywhere else to go to. Besides, we don't know a lot of people here besides your family. It would be our pleasure to spend Christmas with you."

She seemed delighted. She grinned widely before turning away and retreating to another room. I turned my gaze back to Patch knowingly. He shrugged, turning back towards the window.

"I don't want to break her heart. She is kind, that I know. I mean, all of them are kind enough to us. Maybe spending Christmas with them is what we need."

"What we need?" I echoed his words.

He nodded. "Yeah, though I'm not sure what it is yet. Maybe we need a reason to trust them or a reason to destroy them. We just need a reason so we could make up our minds about their family, that much is true. If we spend a day where we aren't supposedly on guard for any throat ripping, maybe we'll see what they truly want from us and if they fit what we need."

Christmas was, just like everything about their house, extravagant. I didn't know where they found the time to decorate the house but there it was, well light and brightly decorated. The glittering Christmas tree reached for the ceiling, though it never quite made it. It was adorned with gold and red baubles. Wrapped around it were garland with the same color and lights that lit up the whole trunk. On top was a delicate blonde angel dressed in white and gold. Patch smirked when he saw this. I suppose it was the Cullens' joking jab at him. At the bottom of the tree were several wrapped boxes. I didn't want to assume but I was hoping it wasn't for us. I hope it was for decoration's sake. Mistletoes hung in a lot of parts in the ceiling. Later that morning, I had the misfortune to be standing under one with Seth nearby. . I spent a whole minute dodging awkward glances with him. I was saved by Edward who called for him when they were ready to go. Since then, I spent the whole day looking up just to make sure I wasn't unknowingly standing under one again.

Despite they did not need to eat, the Cullens prepared a delicious Christmas dinner. The table looked like it was taken from one of those Christmas greeting cards. There was a whole turkey, mashed potatoes, baked macaroni, fruit cake, cranberry sauce and gravy, different types of fruits, an apple pie, ham, and even red wine. All of it looked so nice that even the Cullens smiled. I saw Carlisle's face light up with pride as he announced that it was Esme who cooked all of it.

"Of course you have to eat all of it," Emmett grinned at us. "Esme will be heartbroken if any of it goes to waste."

Patch's face lit up as if enjoying a private joke. "All of this? Why don't you all join us? I dare you to eat with us like we are a family."

Emmett's grin faded away while the others all looked at us expectantly. Patch's grin widened. "I dare all of you to eat with us mortals."

"Well, I think it would be rude of us not to show our guests some entertainment, don't you?" Edward said, sitting down. He kept his eyes on us, grabbing the bowl of mash potatoes and dumping some in his plate. He scooped some up, brought it to his smiling lips, and then ate it. This brought laughter to the table as we all settled down. Our spirits were lifted and the dinner became relatively enjoyable. Even Vee was smiling throughout. Who knew just one dinner would bring us closer to them. By the end of the night, with spirits running high and stomachs full, I felt confident enough to say they had become our allies.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The following morning, a series of knocks brought me back to my consciousness. I hazily untangled myself from my sheets and stumbled towards the door. I opened it to find Alice smiling brightly on the other side. She held out a long piece of paper towards me.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully. Compared to my just-woken-up look, she was already annoyingly stunning. She was already fully dressed with dark jeans and a black laced long sleeve shirt. She pushed the paper towards me again and I realized they were plane tickets. I took it from her, glancing at her hesitantly.

"Because the snow hasn't melted all the way yet, we'll have to leave tomorrow morning. But we will start training today just to make sure we're not wasting time."

"Train?" I asked her. The last time I checked, the snow was still about three feet on the ground. I wasn't in the mood to be thrown around all day on the cold. "Where are we going to train?"

"Outside. Have breakfast first and then meet us in an hour." She flashed her bright smile again before disappearing.

I walked out of my room fifteen minutes later, fully dressed. I opted for my sweatpants and hoodie, knowing an intense workout is ahead. I settled down by myself on the table. A complete breakfast has already been prepared but it looked like I was the last to get up so I ate alone. An hour later, I was heading towards the front door. I carefully dodged the black ice that lingered at the bottom step of their porch. My coordination hasn't improved after all this time. It's better to just avoid any accidents even before I began training. I wondered if it was snowing in Maine too. I suddenly missed the brighter days of winter in Coldwater. I couldn't wait to get back home.

I continued down their driveway, wondering where they could possibly be training when I heard the crunch of the snow. I whipped around to see Seth shifting his weight awkwardly as if he was caught doing something illegal. I crossed my arms, waiting for him to say something.

"What is it?"

"The others are at the back. They told me to come get you," he muttered, nodding towards the back of the house. "Patch and Vee are already there with the others."

He turned around and started walking without another word. I followed him, maintaining the distance. I stepped over a feet of snow, careful not to stumble and fall. Instead of leading me directly to the back of the house, he turned a bit to the east, away from the Cullens' property.

"I don't know why you're averting me all of a sudden," he said after a while. I heard the hurt in his voice.

This had caught my attention. My eyes whipped towards him. He hadn't turned around but he had stopped walking. I inhaled sharply and answered his question. "It's because I don't trust you."

"I was just doing what Jacob had told me to do," he answered defensively.

"Which was?"

"Find out what I can about you and Patch. Find out if you are as powerful as the Volturi had made you out to be. Find out if you really have the power and if you have any weaknesses. Find out if there's any way we can get that power from you if we have it."

"So you admit to spying on me."

"And I told you it's just a job I did for my pack. I have my own responsibilities just like you do with your little Nephilim army." He turned around and I saw the intense hatred in his eyes. "You should know this. You were spying on me too, though of course we both know that was obvious. You have been spying on others long before I came into your life. What, you didn't like I was getting the better of you, that an unknown creature suddenly is in your life? What, you didn't like someone getting the better of you?"

I was breathing hard, the anger was pumping through my veins. "I knew what you were the moment I saw you. I knew you were someone I couldn't trust. I suspected you couldn't act all chivalrous without a hidden agenda and I was right. I let you get close because I wanted to investigate you. Your little gang over there may have beaten me that night but what you did is far more treacherous. Your little act of chivalry was obvious and I didn't fall for it. It disgusted me. You disgust me."

He met my eyes before sighing as if trying to be patient. "I wasn't acting chivalrous. I was really saving you from the others. They were going too far. They wanted to force the information out of you because we were being pressed for it. They didn't understand things like this require patience and careful planning. They were going to blow the whole thing if I didn't stop them. But if I did act like I was faking it, why should you even be bothered?"

I blinked for a few seconds, surprised at what he was saying. I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again because I couldn't find my voice.

"I-It didn't," I stammered. I wanted to kick myself for being completely obvious. He stared at me for a few seconds, his face blank. He didn't rub in the fact that the lies was way too obvious. He merely shrugged before turning back around again.

When he began to walk, my thoughts wandered to his question. Even though I know he couldn't be trusted right from the beginning, it still bothered me to learn he was there for the sake of getting information. I came to the conclusion, even though it was a bit hard to believe, that I wanted to trust Seth because he did save me from his pack. Yes, it was because he didn't think attacking me would actually help them but still, he placed himself in harm's way. It was that gratitude that is making me want to trust him.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head once we came to a clearing. The others were already gathered there in silence but the tense air was real. They were standing opposite sides of the clearing, looking squarely at each other. It was like there was a wall between the pack and the Cullens, and Patch and Vee. Seth joined his pack, going at the very back of their line. I joined Patch and Vee.

Carlisle stepped forward, looking as hesitant as he did when we first met them. "You have to keep in mind that vampires are very agile creatures. You can be the most powerful thing on earth but you have to think fast if you're going up against a vampire. Look at its weaknesses, never hesitate, and use every advantage you can because he or she will use every advantage he or she has against you. Don't let them get that chance because it will be fatal."

He turned around and summoned Edward from behind him. He stepped forward and crouched low before attacking his adopted father. Carlisle stepped to the side to avoid him but Edward, as fast as a blink of an eye, grabbed his fist and slammed him hard against the ground.

"Edward, being a mind reader, saw my next move therefore he had the ability to plan how to counter it even before I could it," Carlisle got up and dusted the snow off his expensive jeans. "You have to be careful of vampires with special abilities. Edward will read your thoughts and plans while Alice can see your future as long as you decided on a move. Jasper can put you in a false sense of mind because he has the ability to control emotions."

"And I expect the Volturi has their own special powers?" Patch asked, his forehead furrowed a bit. "I wouldn't think others of your kind would fear them for no particular reason."

Carlisle nodded. "The Volturi and their guards have their own abilities that set them off from others of our kind. They are dangerous. Their leader, Aro, has the ability to read every single thought ever made once he touches you. Marcus can sense how strong a coven's bond is. If he sense that a coven is not bonded enough, he will use doubt for the Volturi's bidding. Jane, one of their guards, has the ability to create illusions of pain while her twin brother Alec, can blind a person's senses, rendering him useless. Demitri can track anyone once he has the tenor of their mind and Felix is extremely agile and extremely strong. Chelsea can change emotional bonds and can work with Marcus in destroying a coven's loyalty to each other. Renata has the ability to distract people. You have to be very careful."

"Then I suppose I should tell you we could do everything you have just told me," Patch said. He glanced at me and nodded.

I stepped forward and quickly glanced at my opponents, deciding which of them would be the easiest of the target. "Emmett had already experienced what a Nephil and a fallen angel can do but for education's sake, I will demonstrate." I looked intently at Edward and threw my mental nets out. His mind was cold and smooth like marble but I saw the weaknesses. I planted my bombs quickly and watched as his defenses crumble down.

_"Hi Edward,"_ I whispered in mind speak, creating an illusion of Bella's voice. He looked at where the sound came from. I immediately fooled his mind into thinking I was Bella. I picked through his memories of her and changed my Bella illusion into every Bella in his memory, starting from the day he had met her until the day of their wedding. I heard him exhale sharply and the others turned to his direction.

"What is it?" Bella asked, worriedly looking at Edward's amazed expression.

I let the question carry inside his head and commanded him to answer without panicking about the fact that there are two Bellas right now. _"I am showing you her."_

"She's showing you to me. She's changing into every Bella in my memory."

Their eyes all whipped to me and I nodded. Okay, time for the final touch. I picked the memory of the deliciously suffocating aroma that he remembered Bella with when she was human. I turned myself into the Bella he had first seen and coupled it with the scent. His eyes widened and I watched his face hardened. Then slowly, I increased the scent until it was all he could smell. I let it surround his thoughts. He tried to resist, looking for a way out but my grip was too tight. His eyes constricted and he grabbed his throat with a white hand. I watched as his knees buckled and he fell to his fours. His other hand supported his weight as he coughed and sputtered. Bella fell beside him, tugging hard at his arm in an attempt to pull him out of the illusion.

Patch gently touched my arm. I released his mind from my control and let it shift back to him. He gasped for air before snarling up at me.

"Pretty convincing, huh?" Vee commented as Edward straightened up again.

"What did you show him?! What did you do to him?!" Bella was snarling at me.

"I reminded him of your scent and amplified it until it was all he could think about," I explained smoothly. "We have demonstrated our powers before but for informative purposes, I wanted to show you the magnitude of what a Nephil can do. While I agree that vampires are very powerful creatures, it doesn't mean we cannot protect ourselves either. It is only a matter of who uses their powers first. If we are smart and quick, we can get the Volturi before they get to us, of course that's if a battle occurs."

"Furthermore," Patch continued. "We can block our thoughts, disabling Edward's and Alice's powers. From what you told us about the Volturi, we can disable five members of their coven by placing up our shields. Aro cannot read our minds even if he comes into contact with us. Jane and Alec uses illusion like us but their illusions are only effective for those with an open mind. If we have our shields, their powers are useless. Dimitri will never be able to track us since he will never know the tenors of our minds while Renata will never be able to distract us because that would also involve an attempt of invading minds."

"But would it be enough to stop their army? I do not doubt the Volturi are doing exactly what we are doing at this moment, preparing. Our numbers will not be enough if they call on the whole vampire population," Rosalie said.

"Then we will be ready. We will deliver to you a well-trained army of Nephils who can do exactly what I showed Edward. Imagine tens of immortal Nephils that have the capability to invade and deceive vampires like yourselves."

"This works to your advantage," Vee piped up. "Five powerful coven members disabled because of the three of us. With the Nephilm army on our side, even if they have their own forces that has vampires with special abilities in it, we would be able to counter it easily. We aren't guaranteeing victory but it would make them doubt their decision to fight if it comes down to it."

"Besides, you have someone who can block their attacks as well," I nodded my head towards Bella.

"That is true but four shields with three that can damage through illusions is a great advantage for you." Patch had crossed his arms and was looking at the vampires with a relaxed expression. "But if you feel more secured with some of your kind and the wolf pack as your allies, then please do invite them. We do need most of the help we could get and maybe if you reiterated what we have told you here to the Volturi, then maybe they will yield to your words more."

"What proof do we have that you actually have an army?" Jacob spoke up for the first time that I forgot the pack was there.

"I will show you then," I turned my attention to Edward. "He can tell you if I'm lying or telling the truth."

"You have illusions," the only woman member of the pack spoke up. She was pretty, fully grown into womanhood. But her eyes were steely and her mouth had thinned into a harsh line. "What makes you think we'll believe anything you suddenly decide to show one of us?"

I sighed in frustration. "In our society, there's a way of getting someone to do something for you and if they don't do it, they have something bad happen to them, depending on what they promise. Normally, the consequence is death. It's called a Blood Oath." I glanced towards the Cullens. "I think it would be easier for you guys not to breathe for a few seconds."

I plunged my fingernail against the delicate skin of my wrist, where a major vein lied. I sliced it open long enough and the blood immediately began pooling out. I ignored the gasps coming from the others as I flicked out a couple of drops.

I looked directly at each member of their coven and pack. I chose my words carefully, knowing this might have lasting effects. "I vow to show only the truth to Edward Cullen to inform him about the first born Nephilim army I had established for the purpose of facing the Volturi. If I show an illusion, I will endure an eternity of pain. Once the information had been passed to him, may this Blood Oath be fulfilled."

I watched as the wound began to heal before straightening up. I inhaled sharply before throwing my nets out to Edward and breaking down his defenses again. I kept my face blank as I went through the memories I had of the Nephil army. I showed him the night when I trespassed one of Hank's safe houses and saw hundreds of Nephil sleeping inside. I showed him Chauncey and my encounter with him at the school. I showed him the car crash that night when I was using Vee's Neon, where everything began. I showed him the two Nephils that chased after us that night when Patch had caught me sneaking around Hank's safe houses. Finally, I showed him the months leading to the battle last Cheshvan. I gave him an inside look to my training with Dante, the Devilcraft, and finally the battle itself. Then I emphasized my meeting with the Black Hand's army and their oath of loyalty to me. When I finished, I drew out again but this time, I felt exhausted.

Patch placed a supporting hand on my shoulder. "You should have let me do it instead."

I shook my head. "This is my people and this is my army. There's no one better to show our allies what the Nephilim race can do besides me."

The others waited for a few seconds waiting for Edward to speak but he remained silent. His handsome face was blank and his eyes were unblinking. I gazed at Patch hesitantly, unsure of what's going on. Bella's eyes flicked towards me.

"What's did you show him? The only time I saw Edward like this was when I told him I was pregnant."

Well that must have been some news.

"He's trying to digest all of it," Patch told them calmly. "Nora's words are nothing but the truth, Edward. The Black Hand's heir is Nora and she controls his army now he's dead."

"Then I must ask myself if our efforts are completely necessary," he said a moment later, turning to face his family. He looked directly at Bella and gently touched her face. "I don't want to risk losing my family. You have an army. Aro will definitely hesitate if he sees the power you have brought on his porch step."

I shook my head. "But we want a vampire clan strong enough to add to our argument. Listen, though we will do everything it takes to stop them from harnessing the Devilcraft, including waging a war, it is not our intention."

"Yes, I know, I know," he answered impatiently. He turned around and faced me fully. "You'd want to resolve this in a diplomatic manner."

"As best as we could."

"Look, Edward, Carlisle, Jacob," Patch intervened, stepping to the front. He met the eyes of each man on the clearing. "You're not going to have to fight. If you want to go, then leave. Your allies do not have to fight. Yes, we would like it if you are there with us and we would appreciate it. But we are not forcing you, we're not even asking you, to fight beside us. But if you can talk some sense into the Volturi without any violence, then we are politely asking you to join us."

"What would be the use of that if there's no loyalty, no trust in each and every one of us?" Rosalie spoke out. "The wolves don't trust you, we're still not decided, and you don't trust any of us."

"Then we have to prove our loyalty to each other," Patch squarely faced her.

Carlisle looked around his family. "Emmett?"

"Hey, the Volturi is really threatening right now. This Devilcraft business definitely got some pretty powerful creatures shaken up. If they're trying to harness it, they won't stop until they govern not only our kind but other creatures as well. Besides, it is always nice to go head to head with the Volturi guards."

"Rosalie?"

"I just can't stand thinking they'll use their position to get the power they think they need to control every one of us. It's not their job and it's not their right. I'm in."

"Jasper?"

"This isn't going to end well either way. If we ally ourselves with the Nephilim race, the fallen angels, and the Archangels, we really are painting a target in our backs. If they fail this mission with our help, then the Volturi will surely come after us. If we don't do anything and they fail, we're the first clan they're going to use that power on as an example that anyone who crosses them will face punishment. If the Archangels get to them first before they use that power, the angels would annihilate our whole kind. It's bad any way you look at it. We might as well do the right thing."

"Alice?"

"I don't like where this is going any more than anyone else. But I know that once they get the Devilcraft, they will kill everyone here just to get those of us with special powers. I don't want that to happen. I love this family and if there's anything I could do to stop them from taking everyone here from me, I will do it."

"Edward?"

"Our kind deserves the justice and wisdom of a good leader. We cannot have royalties that are seeking only for power over the vampires. It will not end well if the Volturi get their hands on the Devilcraft. Besides they threaten my family, they threaten me. I will go to war just to protect what I treasure the most."

"Bella?"

"Renesmee's future is at stake. I'm not going to let anyone take her away from me. I am willing to protect her. Besides, I think this has been a long time coming. The battle between the Cullens and the Volturi has been set ever since I met them. They aren't going to let us go because we showed them up in front of other covens. They're not going to forgive us because of that. Everything else was just leading up to this."

Finally, Carlisle turned to the wolf pack. He met Jacob's eyes before saying, "I'm not going to force you into doing something your tribe wouldn't want you to do. Remember, if we are gone, you are the only creatures strong enough to protect the Olympic peninsula."

Jacob shook his head. "This is my family as much as it is yours now, Carlisle. I'll go wherever my family is." He turned and faced the rest of his tribe members. "My pack can do what they think will be the best for the humans."

The oldest one, the man who stood beside Jacob during that night at the Devil's Handbag stepped in front. I remembered the others calling him Sam. "We will protect our tribe and the humans. But we will help our Alpha when he needs it. Our loyalty will always remain with you, Jake."

Carlisle nodded again and faced us. "We know your army are more than capable with the task ahead. But we are vampires too and we cannot ignore this injustice committed by our royalty. We will help in any way we can."

The training we had finished that day did not involve hand-to-hand combat. Instead, the Cullens, the pack, and we had gone through rigorous calisthenics. By the end of the day, it was only Vee and I who looked completely worn out. The vampires didn't get tired and the pack had their animalistic strength. Patch was Patch, he just doesn't get tired. So Vee and I crashed on the snow before everyone else.

Patch shook me early next morning to get ready for the flight to the Denali coven. I tried to get up a couple of times only to feel every muscle in my body aching. I crashed in my covers for the third time before Patch tried to pull me up, chuckling gently. When I was able to sit up fully, his laughter was on full volume. He crashed on my sheets, his hands on his stomach.

I kicked him on the leg. "What is your deal?"

He tried to stifle his laughter but it just kept coming out. "You look beautiful."

I glared at him. He was making fun of me. "I'll get ready."

I stood up, pushing the covers towards him and headed for the bathroom. I opened the light and saw with horror what he was laughing at. My hair was a tangled mane on top of my head. I tried to smooth out several knots with my fingers but it was useless. I blew off one of the strands that fell to my face. This is going to be a long day.

By the time I got down, the vampires were already assembled at the bottom of their elegant stairs. I wasn't expecting a long journey so I only packed some toiletries and one outfit besides the one I am wearing. My things fit perfectly well in the backpack I bought at Mike's sports store. Patch had only his baseball hat besides the leather black jacket and the dark blue jeans he was wearing. The others were also traveling lightly with big beach bags and backpacks. Carlisle and Esme were the only ones who actually looked like they were going to travel. That makes sense since besides India, they were also heading to Ireland afterwards. I didn't know how long we will be gone from Forks but I did hope it wasn't long enough. We still need to train hand-to-hand combat. Though I don't think our trip will be some kind of vacation, I was hoping we could talk to the Denali coven as fast as we could.

"The pack will stay here with Rosalie and Emmett just in case the Volturi hears of our absence and takes advantage of it," I heard Edward explain to Patch.

I reached the bottom of the steps to hear Vee panting and hurrying behind me. I looked up and saw she was using the same backpack I bought for her. She was wearing one of her heeled boots. I heard Alice chuckle from behind me. I saw her give Vee a once over.

"I hope you didn't bring any coats."

Vee stopped, her eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

"Brazil, remember? It's not exactly cold there."

Vee groaned and collapsed beside her bag. "Oh yeah."

Despite the blizzard and the fact that it's still the Holiday season, our trip to Alaska was smooth. By the day's end, the Mercedes-Benz Edward had rented slowed down to a lovely home just outside the city border. Like the Cullens, the Denali coven enjoyed their privacy. They were located in the middle of a forest. With the snow on the ground, it would be difficult to navigate through to their home. Though the two-story house was lovely, it was a lot simpler than the Cullens' home. The walls were made of gray brick and the roof was a lovely dark color. There were two windows in every floor at the front with black panels. The door was hidden behind two white columns that supported a small patio with a large window at the top. The house itself was connected to a bricked two-door garage.

Standing by the door way was a beautiful young woman with strawberry blonde hair. Edward and Bella got out of the car to meet them. I placed my hand on the door handle but Patch placed a hand on my wrist to stop me.

_"Don't get out of the car yet,"_ I heard Edward's voice say inside my head. I froze, looking at Patch.

"He's talking to me," he explained, looking intently at the front where the young woman had already reached our companions. "I'm letting you hear his thoughts. He'll give us instructions."

"How are you, Tanya?" I heard Edward say both in mind speak and through my ears.

"I'm fine thank you," she replied smoothly. Her voice was warm and friendly, which encouraged me a bit. "Perhaps maybe a little confused as to why you are visiting our family so suddenly and why your companions refuse to come out of the car. Who are they?"

_"Ah, damn. I was hoping she wouldn't sense you. You really need to keep your aura in check, Patch."_

_ "Well what can I say? I'm not the type to be ignored."_

"Tanya, it's better if we talk inside your home," Bella said quietly. "It's urgent."

I could feel Tanya's suspicion through her words. She didn't move an inch. "What's going on?"

"We will explain inside. But you have to promise me you will not lose your mind once you see our companions," Edward told her. He summoned us out of the car, cautioning us to come out slowly and carefully.

By the time we got out, the other members of the Denali coven were heading towards us. They watched us carefully before an audible gasp was heard. A millisecond later, they were already gathered around Tanya, backing carefully away. All of their beautiful faces were crumpled in horror. Great, nice to know we scare beautiful creatures like them.

"Edward," Tanya hissed. "What have you done? What are they?"

"Can we talk inside?" Edward asked firmly. "They're not going to harm you, I swear on my family's life."

The Denalis straightened up and blinked, seemingly mesmerized by the authority in his voice. Tanya inhaled sharply before stepping forward. Her jaw was set but her voice was even when she spoke. "I am sorry, I cannot let you come inside without any explanations."

"We need your help," Bella began, walking over Tanya. "I think we're in trouble."

One of the vampires scoffed. I turned and saw a tall vampire with brown hair that feel to his shoulders. His eyes held intensity despite its dull reddish-gold color. They landed on me as he scoffed again. "No kidding."

Edward ignored that comment and stepped beside Bella. "This is Nora Grey and this is Patch Cipriano. They are our allies for this mission. You have to trust us, Tanya."

I watch her eyes travel to Patch suspiciously. He exhaled gently. "You're not going to trust us anymore if you knew what we are," he told her as he spread out his arms innocently.

"Just try," she replied, still keeping her eyes locked on Patch. "And don't you dare lie."

"Fine," he shrugged. "You can't smell blood or hear a heart when I come near. That's because I don't have blood coursing through my veins or even a heart. I am not human. I am a fallen Archangel sent here to tell you about an evil power only found in the depths of hell, Devilcraft. I would appreciate it if you and your family would help us stop those who would want to harness it from hell in order to attain power they cannot handle."

He turned towards me before the Denalis could open their mouth to ask questions. "This is Nora Grey. Unlike me, you know she has blood and a heart but you can sense there's something unnatural about her. You are right. She's a Nephil, a cross between a fallen angel and a human. They can be used as vessels by fallen angels through an unholy period called Cheshvan."

I tried not to snicker as I registered their shocked expressions. Well there you go.

One of them, a woman with jet black hair and a gentle face stepped forward. When she spoke, her voice was laced with a heavy Spanish accent. "What is it we could help you with?"

"Carmen," another blonde vampire hissed. She stood beside the man with the intense glare. He had his arm over her protectively as if shielding her from us. Another vampire stepped towards us. He also had black hair and golden eyes between a prominent hooked nose. He cautiously held Carmen's hand but didn't try to stop her. Instead, he matched her slow pace as they approached us carefully.

"You are powerful," the man said, staring at Patch. Like the woman he was holding, he also had a thick Spanish accent. "However, I cannot tell what it is that makes you powerful. It is definite you are not and was never a human. Perhaps you are what you say you are."

The woman, Carmen, studied me with her golden eyes for a few seconds. I stood there tensely as she searched for something in my face. Whatever she read there would probably determine how her family reacts to us. She faced her family members. "I do not think they mean us harm. We should trust that our cousins, the Cullens, do not want us in harm's way."

The man beside her nodded. "Carmen and I are willing to help in any way we can." He glanced towards their family members. "Of course we would have to discuss this with the rest of our family."

Edward nodded, staring at each Denali's face. "Very well. I suppose we should let your family decide by yourselves. Good day." He and Bella turned towards the car again. We glanced at the Denalis before following the Cullens.

Tanya looked uncertain for a few seconds, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Would you like to come inside, even if it's just for a while?"

We exchanged glances before Bella agreed. "We'd like that."

Like outside, the Denali home was lovely. The ceiling was high with a chandelier at the foyer. The smooth wooden floors reflected our images. The walls were lined with different paintings. I spied an archway opening to a kitchen in front of me. They led us to the right, to their extravagant living room. The walls were all white and even the floor was white. There were lights against the walls covered in black shades. In tall white vases on top of black furry rugs were a mixture of white lilies and roses. Their black sofa was velvet and propped on the corners were white square pillows and was a smaller red circular pillow. The loveseats were the same color and material as the sofa but without the pillows. In the middle of the room was a solid black marble coffee table with one single white rose in a clear glass. The television that was stuck on the wall in front of the sofa was turned on to CNN on the lowest volume but it didn't look like any of them were paying attention to it.

Tanya studied us for a moment. "I am afraid we are short of food supplies for now. We could prepare dinner for you later on, if you would like."

I shook my head shortly. "All we want from your family is a straight answer. The Cullens trust you and they believe you could help us, despite our uncertainty."

"Uncertainty?" The other blonde vampire repeated, the suspicion was still on her voice. I realized we didn't know their names, except for Carmen and Tanya.

"You must understand that this is very dangerous. We want to involve your kind as little as we could. This is our mission and it honestly should stay that way. But the Cullens believe you have the ability to help us."

"How did the Cullens get involved?"

I opened my mouth to answer but Patch spoke out before I did, "Edward will enlighten you on the subject."

Edward's face was still a clear marble mask, however, I saw the sharpness in his gaze when he stared at Patch. Patch only smirked as he watched Edward squirm a bit, shifting his weight from one foot to another. It was obvious Edward wanted to avoid mentioning the Volturi to the Denali coven.

From what they had told us during the car trip, the Denalis had a couple of brushes against the Volturi. First was a few centuries ago when their creator turned a child into a vampire. Bella explained that because children do not have the self-control as adults do, vampire children tend to slaughter dozens and dozens of people. This threatens the secrecy of their kind, therefore the Volturi had forbidden any vampire to create a vampire child. This was the reason why the Volturi had visited the Denali coven and destroyed their creator along with the vampire child. This was also the reason why the Volturi had visited the Cullens three years ago. One of the Denali coven members who had a falling out with the Cullens saw what she believed to be was a vampire child but was really Renesmee, Bella and Edward's half human, half vampire daughter. She reported it to the Volturi and they paid a visit to the Olympic peninsula. When it was all cleared up, the sister who had reported the incident to the Volturi was also killed. This would be a complicated matter.

"The Volturi had sent us to find more about them."

I saw all of their golden eyes widen. "Why would they do that?"

"Because it's the Volturi who wants to harness the Devilcraft from hell," I spoke out loud, knowing Edward and Bella would hesitate once again. Maybe it would be better if a stranger, someone who isn't close to them, tell them of the crimes the Volturi is planning to do.

Tanya frowned. "What makes you think we would believe you?"

I guessed as much so I was prepared to show them what I could do. I was about to throw my mental net again and, like what I have done to the Cullens and the pack, show them my memories. But instead, Edward stepped forward again.

"You know what I can do, Tanya. You know if they were lying, I would sense it and I wouldn't even bother to deal with it."

"Yes, but we also know that there had been talks going throughout our kind, Edward. Talks that you want to fight the Volturi to overthrow them," she replied harshly.

"You know that's not true," Bella said, standing up. "You know that all my family wants is to live peacefully. We do not have the right to do what the Volturi does but we do have the right to stand up against them once we know they're on the wrong. They want the power to make sure none of us ever question them."

"You are asking us to fight the Volturi again, Cullens," the man with the intense glare snarled. "Look at what happened the last time. You say you want to live in peace and in harmony yet you invite creatures like them and talk about a war that would happen."

"Who said anything about a war?" Patch smirked. Despite the rising tempers, he had remained cool. He grinned again and I saw something flash in Tanya's eyes. "We're here to talk to them diplomatically."

"But war would eventually happen," Tanya challenged him. "We all know it, we have sensed it ever since that day three years ago. If this Devilcraft even exists, maybe the Volturi is using it for the sake of our kind, protection from creatures like you with unspoken powers and your companion." She glared at me as she hissed the word "companion".

"You are right," he shrugged. His tone was relaxed enough as if the matter really didn't matter but when he stared at her, his eyes were steel onyx. "But remember, before they go after us, the Volturi will go after those who have challenged them before. How many times had that been for your family, Tanya?"

Her jaw clenched and I actually saw her swallow.

Patch smirked again. He leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs, looking more relaxed than the vampires who owned the place. "The Devilcraft is a power no creature can hope to control. The last time it was here on earth, an entire race of immortals was eliminated. Like what I have said before, I am on a mission assigned by heavenly powers themselves. If I fail this mission and the Volturi gets their hands on the Devilcraft, the Archangels and the Avenging Angels will eliminate your kind. We need your help because you are vampires and you, as much as the Cullens, know how the Volturi works. They are not unreasonable vampires. They will listen to their kind if they must. If they don't and a war ensues, would you rather help the Volturi get the Devilcraft and see your family be destroyed or would you rather quicken the annihilation of your species?"

"But you are asking for us to fight the Volturi, to go against them."

"With creatures like fallen angels, Nephilims, Archangels, and Avenging Angels, you're worried about the Volturi?" His mocking grin was widening but he managed to balance it with a curious expression on his face.

"Look, you don't have to fight," I told her, stepping up. "We're not even asking the Cullens to fight. We're not asking you to face the Volturi. All we're asking is for you to stay with the other Nephilims just in case we need your help."

"Other Nephils?" the other blonde whipped her head toward the Cullens. "There are more of her?"

I nodded. I might as well elaborate. "I have an army waiting to stop any attempts at the Devilcraft." If they didn't feel any more secured now, I don't know what will.

"An army?"

"Just in case things got too much for us to handle."

Tanya's eyes flicked towards Patch again. "What about other fallen angels?"

"Like I said, an immortal race was annihilated a few months ago because they got involved with Devilcraft." His eyes turned steely again. "But there will always be new fallen angels throughout time. Before long, I will not be the only one."

Though it was just a statement, I was certain they felt the threat behind it because I felt it too. Breaking the tense silence, I added, "Even though we have an army, it would be best if the Volturi would hear from their own kind if they needed to. I promise you, the Nephilim race would not harm you and you wouldn't be forced to interact or fight with them."

"Why don't you want your own kind to get it?" the man with the intense gaze asked me. "If it's such a terrifyingly amazing power, why don't your own kind try to harness it for themselves?"

"Because no creature that roam this earth can hope to control it," I repeated Patch's words. "I have personal experience with it and I am telling you, I don't want anyone to experience its powers, especially my people."

"You are asking a lot from our faith, Edward," Tanya finally said after we settled into a tense silence once again. "We would have to talk amongst ourselves about this. In the meantime, you can stay here if you would like. Three rooms are available for your use." Her eyes traveled to Patch again before turning and exiting. The others stayed with us for a moment before they followed her.

That night, I tossed and turned on the bed, the sheets tangling around me. There was no way I could get comfortable in a home with the hostile risk. I didn't understand why Edward was confident the Denali coven would be able to help us. It was obvious they were still hurting from their sister and their creator's deaths and there was no way we could convince them into our plans. I was worried that Patch's arrogance wasn't helping at all either. I wondered if his display a while ago would actually harm us.

But Carmen and, I suppose, her husband, seemed supportive enough. Throughout the night, I would catch them following us around the house. I knew they must be curious of our powers. I knew Edward was doing everything he could not to freak out the Denali coven at all. Though from their expressions when they first met us, they knew we were threats. Still, if Tanya, the other blonde, and the man with the intense glare do not help us, maybe we can get Carmen and her husband.

Giving up on sleep, I detangled myself from the sheets and headed outside, wondering what Patch was doing now. It didn't escape me the glances that Tanya had thrown towards Patch but I didn't want to think of it. I was secured where I was with Patch but that didn't mean I wasn't threatened or intimidated by Tanya's beauty. It was kind of hard going up against a vampire in the beauty arena.

I reached his door, knocking gently. "Patch," I whispered. "Are you awake?" But there was no response. I turned the knob and opened the door. His bed was still made. He was nowhere in sight. I entered the room, leaving the door open.

"Patch?" I called out again in a hushed whisper. "Are you here?" I stopped as I heard voices floating towards me. It was coming from downstairs. Curiously, I exited the room and headed towards the first floor.

"You have a lovely home," I heard a familiar voice say somewhere in the kitchen.

"Patch?" I asked to no one in particular as I followed his voice but stopped as I heard another voice reply to him.

"Thanks."

It was Tanya. I approached the archway that led to the kitchen, hiding behind the wall beside it. I pressed myself against the wall and listened intently.

"So this Devilcraft business is serious," Tanya was saying but something has changed in her voice. Instead of the serious, almost curt tone she used when she spoke to us earlier, her voice now seemed so light and almost flirty. I opened my mouth in shock and disgust. She was flirting with him!

I heard Patch sigh tiredly. "Yes. I was hoping I would never have to face it ever again. I was hoping I could get to spend my eternity in peace."

"If my family helps your cause, what would happen?"

"We would have a fighting chance."

"But the girl you're with, she seems confident of her Nephilim army," she said her voice touching a challenging tone.

"At this point we would have to be confident of anything that would be willing to help us," he admitted. He was either ignoring her advances or was completely oblivious to it, though I know it couldn't be the latter. I wanted to step forward to say something but I stopped myself. I trusted Patch. He would make the line clear when he wanted to.

"And the girl? What is she to you?" she asked, her voice rising a bit. It was obvious she was meaning to ask this for a while now, maybe even the moment they had begun their conversation.

Patch was silent for a few seconds that it worried me. "She's very important," he said finally, remaining vaguer than I would like.

"Important to you personally or important to your cause?" she pried on.

"What exactly do you want to hear?" he asked her, turning the question. "You just met me and you have no idea what kind of person I am."

"From what I know, you're either saving your own ass from being sent to hell or you're saving two different species from their own personal hell."

I heard him chuckle so coldly that it sent the hairs on my arms standing. "I'm not that selfless. Maybe the first one."

"So she's only important to your own personal cause."

He didn't answer her assumptions. "I hope you decide before we leave tomorrow morning. If by then, you still need time, I trust you know where the Cullens' home is. You'll know where to find me."

Realizing he was about to head towards my direction, I hurriedly scrambled out of the way. I found a small dark hallway and hid myself there until I heard his footsteps up the stairs and into his room. When his room had shut, I glanced towards the kitchen again, knowing Tanya was still there. I waited until she too followed him up the stairs and into a room. Though I hoped she didn't enter his.


End file.
